Pakistan closed Sunday’s main border passes with Afghanistan, after fierce exchanges of fire between the two countries on Saturday night, in which Kabul claims to kill 58 Pakistani soldiers, according to Reuters.

The Afghan forces opened fire on Pakistani prisons on the border, in retaliation – as the country’s defense ministry said – for Pakistani air strikes on Afghan territory in the past few days.

Kabul announced that the clashes resulted in the deaths of 58 Pakistani soldiers, but did not provide any evidence of how this number emerges. According to the same announcement, 20 Afghan soldiers were killed or injured.

There was no immediate official reaction from Pakistan, although military sources in the country reported that they “caused losses” to the Afghan forces, but without talking in numbers. Reuters failed to independently verify the information.

Both sides argued that they were destroyed by the other side on the border. Pakistani security officials have published videos that, they say, show fires affecting Afghan outposts.

The exchanges of fire were reduced on Sunday morning, according to Pakistani military sources, although in the northwest of the country, there are individual clashes, according to local officials and residents.

The Afghan Ministry of Defense had previously announced that the operation was completed at midnight, and later Kabul said it had stopped attacks at the request of Qatar and Saudi Arabia – two Gulf countries that were concerned about the conflict.

“There is no threat to any area of ​​Afghan soil,” said Taliban government spokesman Zambiulah Mujahid. “The Islamic Emirates and the people of Afghanistan will defend their land and remain determined to defend themselves.” However, he acknowledged that “the battles continue in some areas”.

Islamabad has long accused the Afghan Taliban administration of providing refuge to fighters of the Tehreek-E-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) organization, who are attacking Pakistani territory-allegations that Kabul categorically denies.

Border

Meanwhile, Pakistan, sharing a border of 2,600 kilometers with Afghanistan, proceeded Sunday to close two main border crossings, Torkham and Chaman, as well as three smaller (Kharlachi, Angoor Adda and Ghaulam Khan), according to local officials. Kabul did not respond immediately to Reuters’ request to comment on the closure of the border.

Pakistan’s air strikes on Thursday, which is not officially admitted to Islamabad, targeted – according to a Pakistani military source – the leader of the TTP organization in Kabul. However, as Reuters reports, it is not known if he was killed.

TTP has been fighting for years to overthrow the Pakistani government and establish a strict Islamic regime. Taliban’s spokesman, Mujahid, denied Sunday that TTP works through Afghan soil.