SOUTH WAZIRISTAN — Pakistani security forces launched robust and decisive retaliatory strikes across the western frontier, destroying multiple Afghan Taliban regime border checkposts after unprovoked mortar shelling from Afghanistan struck a civilian residence in the Angoor Adda border region of Lower South Waziristan, officials and local administrators confirmed.
Mortar Shelling Hits Residential Compound in Angoor Adda
According to district administration officials and security sources, the exchange erupted when mortar rounds and heavy machine-gun fire were discharged from Afghan territory toward the Angoor Adda bazaar and neighboring civilian dwellings late on Tuesday night. One mortar shell directly impacted a residential home in the locality, killing one citizen on the spot and critically injuring five members of the same family, including women and children.
Local emergency responders and security personnel immediately transferred the injured to a nearby medical facility in Wana for urgent surgical care. The unprovoked attack also inflicted severe structural damage on commercial stalls and retail shops in the Angoor Adda marketplace, triggering widespread public indignation across the border tribal belt.
Heavy Retaliation Destroys Afghan Regime Outposts
In immediate response to the cross-border aggression, Pakistan Army units stationed along the frontier responded with coordinated artillery and heavy weaponry fire. Security sources confirmed that Pakistani fire directly targeted and neutralized the hostile launch positions across the international boundary, destroying several Afghan Taliban border checkposts situated in the Barmal district of Afghanistan's neighboring Paktika province.
The retaliatory strikes silenced hostile firing positions, with plumes of smoke observed rising from destroyed fortified bunkers on the Afghan side of the Durand Line. Military officials reiterated that while Pakistan exercises maximum restraint to prevent civilian harm, any hostile fire targeting Pakistani soil, civilian lives, or security installations will be met with immediate, overwhelming kinetic force.
Provincial Condemnation and Escalating Frontier Friction
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi strongly condemned the Afghan mortar attack on innocent civilians in Angoor Adda, describing the targeting of non-combatant residential areas as an intolerable violation of international norms. The Governor commended the rapid, resolute response of the Pakistan Army and affirmed that the state will defend its territorial sovereignty and citizens against all cross-border provocations.
The deadly flare-up at Angoor Adda underscores intensifying friction along the Pakistan-Afghanistan international frontier. Islamabad has repeatedly called upon the Afghan Taliban administration to rein in militant factions, notably the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), operating from cross-border sanctuaries. Security deployments across key border sectors have been placed on heightened vigilance to counter further aggression. For continuous coverage of defense and border developments, explore our latest Pakistan news reports on Pak Pulse 247.