THE WORLD, EXPLAINED.

Pakistan and Afghanistan trade accounts of renewed border fighting

A Pakistani official reports a civilian death; Kabul describes Pakistani drone strikes.

By Ayal · October 28, 2026

Islamabad’s skyline in February 2016. Archival national context; this photograph does not show South Waziristan, the border clashes or any people affected. Kamranmangrio — CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Islamabad_skyline.jpg License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 Provider-sized copy; no content edits. Display may crop to fit cards.

A Pakistani regional official said one person died and five were injured after Afghan fire hit houses and a market in South Waziristan, Reuters reported on October 28. The Pakistani account concerned firing a day earlier.

Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities separately said Pakistan had carried out drone attacks in Paktika and described an Afghan military response. Reuters said it could not verify either side’s claims. These are competing official accounts, rather than independently established findings about responsibility or the full casualty toll.