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PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Clashes erupted Tuesday between Pakistani and Afghan forces in a remote northwestern border region, with state-run media in Pakistan accusing Afghan troops of opening “unprovoked fire” that was repulsed.

Pakistani forces responded, damaging Afghan tanks and military posts, according to Pakistan TV and two security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Tahir Ahrar, a deputy police spokesperson in Afghanistan’s Khost province, confirmed the clashes but provided no further details.

This is the second time this week that the two sides have traded fire along their long border.

According to Pakistan’s state-run media, Afghan forces and Pakistani Taliban jointly opened fire at a Pakistani post “without provocation,” prompting what the media described as a “strong response” from Pakistani troops in Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Security officials said Pakistan's military also destroyed a sprawling training facility of the Pakistani Taliban.

There was no immediate comment from Pakistan’s military, which has been on high alert since Saturday, when both sides traded fire across multiple border regions, resulting in dozens of casualties on each side.

Although the clashes halted on Sunday after appeals from �������� and Qatar, all border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained closed.

Over the weekend, Kabul said that it targeted several Pakistani military posts and killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in retaliation for what it called repeated violations of Afghan territory and airspace. Pakistan’s military reported lower figures, saying it lost 23 soldiers and killed more than 200 “Taliban and affiliated terrorists” in retaliatory fire along the frontier.

Tensions have remained high since last week, when the Taliban government accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes in Kabul and in an eastern market. Pakistan has not acknowledged those allegations.

But Pakistan has previously launched strikes inside Afghanistan, saying it targets hideouts of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, which is separate from but allied to the Afghan Taliban.

Pakistan accuses Kabul of harboring the group, which has carried out numerous deadly attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul denies the charge, saying it does not allow its territory to be used against other countries.

KARACHI: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday it had reached a staff-level agreement with Pakistan for the second review of its 37-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the first review of a 28-month Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), a step that could unlock about $1.2 billion once approved by the Fund’s Executive Board.

Pakistan secured a $7 billion bailout from the IMF in September 2024 after months of negotiations to stabilize its struggling economy, rebuild reserves and attract foreign investment. The program, divided between the EFF for macroeconomic reforms and the RSF for climate resilience, came after record inflation and devastating floods pushed millions into poverty.

Since then, the IMF says implementation has remained strong, with fiscal and monetary tightening restoring a measure of stability. The current-account balance recorded a surplus for the first time in 14 years, inflation has eased and external buffers have improved.

“Supported by the EFF, Pakistan’s economic program is entrenching macroeconomic stability and rebuilding market confidence,” said Iva Petrova, who led the IMF mission.

“The recovery remains on track, with the FY25 current account recording a surplus — the first in 14 years — the fiscal primary balance surpassing the program target, inflation remaining contained, external buffers strengthening, and financial conditions improving.”

The Fund said the Pakistani authorities had reaffirmed their commitment to the reform agenda, including sustaining a fiscal surplus of 1.6 percent of GDP in FY26, tightening monetary policy to keep inflation within the State Bank’s 5–7 percent target range, and continuing structural changes to restore the energy sector’s viability and prevent circular-debt accumulation.

However, the IMF warned that recent floods, which have affected about 7 million people and caused more than 1,000 deaths, had darkened Pakistan’s outlook, particularly for agriculture, and could drag FY26 growth down to around 3.3–3.5 percent.

“The floods underscore Pakistan’s high vulnerability to natural disasters and substantial climate-related risks, and the continuing need to build climate resilience,” Petrova said.

The IMF also noted progress on climate and governance reforms under the RSF, including steps to promote green mobility, improve disaster-risk financing and strengthen water-system resilience.