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KABUL: Afghanistan said Sunday it killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight border operations, in response to what it called repeated violations of its territory and airspace.
Earlier in the week, Afghan authorities accused Pakistan of bombing the capital, Kabul, and a market in the country’s east. Pakistan did not claim responsibility for the assault.
The Taliban government’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Afghan forces have captured 25 Pakistani army posts, 58 soldiers have been killed, and 30 others wounded.
“The situation on all official borders and de facto lines of Afghanistan is under complete control, and illegal activities have been largely prevented,” Mujahid told a press conference in Kabul. There was no immediate confirmation from Pakistan about casualties.
Pakistan has previously struck locations inside Afghanistan, targeting what it alleges are militant hideouts, but these have been in remote and mountainous areas.
The two sides have also skirmished along the border. But Saturday night's heavy clashes underscore the deepening security tensions.
The Taliban government’s Defense Ministry said early Sunday morning its forces had conducted “retaliatory and successful operations” along the border.
“If the opposing side again violates Afghanistan’s territorial integrity, our armed forces are fully prepared to defend the nation’s borders and will deliver a strong response,” the ministry added.
The Torkham border crossing, one of two main trade routes between the two countries, did not open on Sunday at its usual time of 8 am. The crossing at Chaman was also closed.
Pakistan accuses Afghan authorities of harboring members of the banned group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. Islamabad says the group carries out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, but Kabul denies the charge, saying it does not allow its territory to be used against other countries.
Before the Afghan claim of casualties, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the assault and said the country's army “not only gave a befitting reply to Afghanistan’s provocations but also destroyed several of their posts, forcing them to retreat.”
The Saudi Foreign Ministry issued a statement late Saturday, calling for “restraint, avoidance of escalation and the adoption of dialogue and wisdom to help de-escalate tensions and maintain the security and stability of the region.”
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A senior Pakistani security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said Afghan forces opened fire in several northwestern border areas in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the districts of Chitral, Bajaur, Mohmand, Angoor Adda and Kurram.
The official also said troops responded with heavy weaponry near Tirah in Khyber district and across the frontier in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.
The two countries share a 2,611-kilometer border known as the Durand Line, but Afghanistan has never recognized it.

BEIJING: China signaled Sunday that it would not back down in the face of a 100 percent tariff threat from President Donald Trump, urging the US to resolve differences through negotiations instead of threats.
“China’s stance is consistent,” the Commerce Ministry said in a statement posted online. “We do not want a tariff war but we are not afraid of one.”
The response came two days after Trump threatened to jack up the tax on imports from China by Nov. 1 in response to new Chinese restrictions on the export of rare earths, a key ingredient for many consumer and military products.
The back and forth threatens to derail a possible meeting between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping and end a truce in a tariff war in which new tariffs from both sides briefly topped 100 percent in April.
Trump has raised taxes on imports from many US trading partners this year, seeking to win concessions in return for tariff reductions. China has been one of the few countries that hasn’t backed down, relying on its economic clout.
“Frequently resorting to the threat of high tariffs is not the correct way to get along with China,” the Commerce Ministry said in its online post, which was presented as a series of answers from an unnamed spokesperson to questions from unspecified media outlets.
The statement called for addressing any concerns through dialogue.
“If the US side obstinately insists on its practice, China will be sure to resolutely take corresponding measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” the post said.
Both sides accuse the other of violating the spirit of the truce by imposing new restrictions on trade.
Trump said China is “becoming very hostile” and that it’s holding the world captive by restricting access to rare earth metals and magnets.
China’s new regulations require foreign companies to get special approval to export items that contain even small traces of rare earths elements sourced from China. These critical minerals are needed in a broad range of products, from jet engines, radar systems and electric vehicles to consumer electronics including laptops and phones.
China accounts for nearly 70 percent of the world’s rare earths mining and controls roughly 90 percent of global rare earths processing. Access to the material is a key point of contention in trade talks between Washington and Beijing.
The ministry post said that export licenses would be granted for legitimate civilian uses, noting that the minerals also have military applications.
The Chinese Commerce Ministry post said that the US has introduced several new restrictions in recent weeks, including expanding the number of Chinese companies subject to US export controls.
It also said that the US is ignoring Chinese concerns by going forward with new port fees on Chinese ships that take effect Tuesday. China announced Friday that it would impose port fees on American ships in response.