AFGHAN ground forces attacked Pakistani military positions at 16 locations along the two countries’ south-western border early today, also firing on multiple points in the north-west.

The attack triggered intense clashes in which 67 Afghan security force members and one Pakistani soldier were killed, as fighting between them entered its fifth consecutive day, officials said.

Pakistan “successfully repelled these multiple attacks” along the Afghan border, according to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.

Afghan forces carried out ground assaults in 16 locations in the south-western districts of Qilla Saifullah, Nushki and Chaman in Balochistan province, Mr Tarar said on social media. 

In retaliation, Pakistan killed 27 members of the Afghan forces, he said.

Mr Tarar said that Afghan forces had also launched attacks at 25 locations in the border regions of north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where Pakistani troops killed 40 Afghan security force members.

There was no immediate comment from Kabul on the Pakistani figures.

However, Pakistan and Afghanistan have both repeatedly claimed to inflict heavy losses on the other side since last Thursday, when Afghanistan launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani air strikes the previous Sunday. 

Since then, Pakistan has carried out operations along the border, with Mr Tarar saying on Monday that 435 Afghan security force members had been killed and 31 positions captured in the fighting.

In recent days, Kabul has also said that its forces have inflicted significant losses on Pakistan’s military.

The latest claim about the killing of Afghan forces was made the day after Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari defended the ongoing strikes in Afghanistan, saying Islamabad had tried all forms of diplomacy before targeting militants operating from Afghan territory. 

He asked Kabul to disarm groups responsible for attacks in his country.

Pakistan has described its operations as an “open war “ with Afghanistan. 

The border area remains a stronghold for jihadist organisations, including al-Qaida and Islamic State.

Pakistan has experienced a surge in violence in recent months, attributing it to the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which operates inside Pakistan and from Afghan territory. 

Islamabad accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing safe havens for the TTP, which Kabul denies.

The last bout of cross-border fighting ended in October after Qatar and Turkey brokered a ceasefire, though talks in Istanbul failed to produce a permanent agreement 

Pakistani authorities have said that the current operations will continue until Afghanistan’s Taliban government takes practical, verifiable steps to rein in the TTP and other militants responsible for violence in Pakistan.