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The Taliban and Pakistan are continuing to engage in escalating cross-border clashes that have resulted in dozens of deaths and regional concern that the fighting could escalate into a broader war.

Some shit you should know before you read: Last week, Pakistan carried out a targeted airstrike inside Afghanistan aimed at eliminating senior leadership of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group responsible for numerous deadly attacks across Pakistan. The strike hit locations in Kabul and Paktika provinces, where Pakistani intelligence believed TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud was operating. Islamabad has long accused the Afghan Taliban of allowing the TTP to operate freely within Afghan territory. While the Taliban denies officially backing the TTP, the two share the same ideological, tribal, and historical ties.

What’s going on now: In a notable development, Pakistan and Afghanistan are now engaged in an all-out military confrontation along multiple stretches of their shared 2,600-kilometer border. The violence erupted late Saturday night when Taliban forces launched what they described as “retaliatory” strikes on Pakistani military outposts, claiming the attacks were in direct response to Pakistan’s earlier airstrike. Clashes broke out across several districts including Kurram, Angoor Adda, and Chitral, with both sides deploying heavy artillery, drones, and ground forces. The Taliban claim to have captured 25 Pakistani border posts and killed 58 soldiers, while Pakistan’s military reports 23 of its soldiers were killed and claims to have eliminated over 200 Taliban and affiliated fighters in return.

Each side has accused the other of provoking the hostilities and violating sovereignty. The Taliban’s Ministry of Defense said the attacks were a “retaliatory and successful operation” against repeated Pakistani violations of Afghan airspace and territory. Pakistan, on the other hand, has condemned the Taliban’s attacks as “unprovoked” and “cowardly,” accusing the Taliban of sheltering militants who routinely cross into Pakistani territory to carry out ambushes and bombings.

As of now, Pakistan says it has temporarily taken control of 19 Taliban outposts during counteroffensives. Both governments have released conflicting casualty figures and video footage of destroyed enemy checkpoints, none of which could be independently verified due to restricted media access in the conflict zones.

Amid the chaos, some countries have called for restraint. Russia, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar have all issued near-identical statements urging both countries to de-escalate, chill out, and return to diplomacy. Saudi Arabia, which recently signed a mutual defense pact with Pakistan, called for “restraint, avoidance of escalation, and the adoption of dialogue and wisdom.” Qatar echoed these sentiments, while Iran warned that continued instability on its eastern border could undermine broader regional security.