Taliban Demands Pakistan Expel ISIS Operatives Amid Border Clashes

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid on October 12, 2025, demanded that Pakistan immediately expel or extradite key ISIS operatives allegedly sheltering on its soil, accusing Islamabad of harboring the global terror network amid a fierce retaliatory campaign against recent Pakistani airstrikes. Mujahid's stark warning came as Afghan forces claimed to have inflicted heavy losses on Pakistani troops, reporting at least 58 soldiers killed and 30 wounded in overnight clashes across volatile frontier provinces—a figure that starkly contrasts with Pakistan's official denials of casualties.

The tit-for-tat violence erupted following Pakistan's alleged airstrikes on October 9, which targeted suspected Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts in Kabul and eastern provinces like Paktika, Khost, and Jalalabad. Witnesses in Kabul described thunderous explosions near Abdul Haq Square around 9:50 p.m., with unconfirmed reports suggesting the strikes may have killed two senior TTP figures, possibly including elusive leader Noor Wali Mehsud. The Taliban Defense Ministry labeled the incursions a "gross violation of sovereignty," vowing "severe consequences" and launching immediate counteroffensives along the disputed Durand Line, spanning Helmand, Kandahar, Zabul, Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Nangarhar, and Kunar.

"Pakistan should expel the important ISIS members who are hiding there from its soil or hand them over to the Islamic Emirate," Mujahid declared in a fiery statement, emphasizing ISIS-Khorasan's (ISKP) existential threat to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and beyond. He alleged that the Islamic State had been "cleared" from Afghan territory post-2021 Taliban takeover, only to regroup in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where recruits are funneled through Karachi and Islamabad airports for training. "Even attacks in Iran and Russia were planned from these Pakistani centers—there's documented evidence," Mujahid added, pointing to ISKP's orchestration of high-profile assaults like the January 2024 Moscow concert hall massacre and Iran's Kerman bombings earlier that year.

Also Read: Taliban Strikes Back: 15 Pakistani Soldiers Killed in Border Clashes

This accusation flips the script on longstanding Pakistani grievances that the Taliban provides safe havens to TTP militants, who have ramped up attacks since 2021, killing hundreds of security forces. A UN report earlier this year corroborated Islamabad's claims, noting TTP's "substantial logistical support" from Afghan authorities, but Mujahid countered by highlighting Pakistan's alleged complicity in ISKP's resurgence. The group, which views both the Taliban and Pakistani government as apostates, has claimed responsibility for devastating strikes, including a September 2025 suicide bombing in Quetta that killed 11 soldiers and a Bannu assault felling 24.

Pakistan's military spokesman, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, neither confirmed nor denied the airstrikes but reiterated that "Afghanistan is being used as a base against Pakistan, with proof." Islamabad has ramped up drone and artillery operations, downing Afghan quadcopters and razing outposts, while expelling thousands of Afghan refugees in a bid to pressure Kabul. The clashes mark the third major round of Pakistani incursions into Afghan airspace this year, following strikes in March and December 2024, amid a broader 2025 conflict that has seen fire exchanged along the 2,640-km border.

Regional powers are sounding alarms. China, Iran, Russia, and Pakistan jointly urged at the UN General Assembly in September for Afghanistan to dismantle terror networks, while Saudi Arabia and Qatar mediate de-escalation talks. Analysts warn the feud could spiral into a full-scale war, exacerbated by the Taliban's growing ties with India—highlighted by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's ongoing Delhi visit, which coincided with the Kabul blasts—prompting Pakistan to accuse New Delhi of stoking TTP via Kabul.

As artillery thunders and reinforcements mass on both sides, Mujahid's ISIS ultimatum underscores a perilous irony: former allies turned adversaries, with global jihadists exploiting the chaos. With nuclear-armed Pakistan on edge and the Taliban rejecting the colonial-era Durand Line, South Asia teeters on a powder keg, where today's border skirmish could ignite tomorrow's inferno.

Also Read: Taliban Warns Pakistan: Afghan Soil Won’t Be Used Against India