Kabul warned of ‘unbearable punishment’ as clashes persist along border

• Torkham stays shut for five hours following firefight over disputed check post • Military spox says Afghan Taliban ‘won’t be able to bear cost’ of harbouring terrorists • Names India as ‘prime contractor’ behind terrorism in Pakistan • Rubio says US shares Pakistan’s concerns over attacks from Afghan soil, open to role in easing tensions KHYBER/LOWER SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Pakistani and Afghan border forces exchanged fire at several points along their border on Sunday, as the military warned that the Afghan Taliban would not be able to withstand the “punishment” Islamabad could inflict if Kabul failed to rein in terrorists. The fresh clashes temporarily shut down the busy Torkham border crossing over a disputed check post and killed one civilian in mortar shelling near the Angoor Adda crossing.

The situation unfolded as Washington validated Pakistan’s concerns regarding cross-border terrorist attacks originating from Afghanistan and signalled openness to playing a productive role in easing tensions. The situation at the Torkham cro­ssing stabilised after a nearly five-hour closure caused by an hou­rlong exchange of light-arms fire. It reopened only after border officials from both countries agreed through intermediaries to halt all construction near the border. However, tensions remained high in the Angoor Adda area of Lower South Waziristan. According to the deputy commissioner of Lower South Wazir­istan, Taliban fighters continued to target Pakistani border checkpoints with unprovoked firing. Pakistani security forces responded immediately and effectively, targeting “multiple Afghan border posts, mortar positions, and defensive checkpoints”, the official wrote on X, adding that no reports of any casualties have emerged from the border areas on the Pakistani side. Border…