Pakistani Attacks in Eastern Nuristan Kill Around 40 Taliban Fighters, Prompt Reinforcements

Pakistani forces have conducted attacks in the eastern Nuristan districts of Nurgaram and Barg-e-Matal, where local sources report around 40 Taliban fighters killed. The Taliban have dispatched two companies of reinforcements from other Nuristan districts to the area to prevent depletion of forces there.

Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat stated that on the first day of Eid al-Fitr, Pakistani military forces fired a mortar at a civilian vehicle in the Baghche area of Kamdesh district. The attack killed a female doctor named Sahar and her four-year-old son Mihan, who fell into a river. Fitrat said the bodies remained at the site for a while due to continued shelling but were later recovered by local residents and Taliban members.

Residents in Kamdesh and Barg-e-Matal districts report that transportation routes have been closed for about 20 days due to the clashes and Pakistani attacks, leading to severe food shortages. They warn that if the situation persists for another one to two weeks, a humanitarian disaster could occur. Concerns also include the risk of these districts falling to Pakistani forces and increasing infiltration by ISIS, citing local Salafi leanings and dissatisfaction among some religious scholars with Taliban policies.

Nuristan province lies in northeastern Afghanistan, bordering Pakistan to the east and south, with eastern Nuristan encompassing valleys and districts near the border. The Taliban statement did not address fighter casualties or explicitly confirm road closures, though it implicitly acknowledged ongoing shelling.