Afghanistan says 28 fighters killed after crossing from Pakistan

Afghanistan's Defence Ministry said on Sunday (September 27, 2026) that its forces had killed 28 fighters and wounded 32 in the eastern province of Nuristan, after a group it said included Islamic State militants crossed from Pakistan.

The Ministry alleged Pakistani militias had supported the fighters, and that most of them were former Afghan government security personnel. Pakistan's military and Information Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Reuters could not independently verify the Ministry's account or its casualty figures.

Kabul's claim that Pakistani intelligence trained and sent former Afghan security personnel across the border is a direct allegation of state involvement in an armed incursion. It comes less than a week after Pakistan launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan, saying it had targeted militants. Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of sheltering fighters who attack its territory, a charge Kabul denies.