US president Donald Trump offered to resolve the ongoing conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan after border clashes left dozens dead over the weekend.
The Pakistani military said that 23 of its soldiers were killed in the most serious clashes between the neighbours since the Taliban came to power in 2021. The Taliban said nine were killed on its side, Reuters reported.
However, each side claimed to have inflicted far higher casualties on the other, without providing evidence, Reuters reported. Pakistan said it had killed more than 200 Afghan Taliban and allied fighters while Afghanistan said it had killed 58 Pakistani troops.
Kabul claimed its forces were only responding to repeated violations of its territory and airspace by the neighbouring country’s military.
Officials in Islamabad earlier said that they had conducted airstrikes on alleged hideouts of terrorist groups like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan inside Afghanistan.
“This will be my eighth war that I have solved. I hear that there is a war now going on between Pakistan and Afghanistan. I said it will have to wait till I get back,” Mr Trump said, laughing, “because I’m good at solving wars, making peace and it’s an honour to do this.”
He was answering a question about being credited for mediating a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
“It's an honour to do it. I saved millions of lives, millions of lives,” the US president told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Israel on Sunday night.
He also suggested that he did not win the Nobel Peace Prize, for which he had nominated himself and made several public pitches, as it was for the past year.
“Now in all fairness to the Nobel Committee, it was for 2024 and it was picked for 2024,” he said.
“But there are those that say you can make an exception because a lot of things happened during 2025 that are done and complete and great,” the US president continued. “But I did this not for Nobel. I did this for saving lives.”
Mr Trump is visiting Israel and Egypt to oversee a ceasefire he helped broker in Gaza.
The truce deal mandates Hamas to release all 48 remaining Israeli captives, dead and alive, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held by Israel.
The deadline for the Palestinian group to return the Israeli captives expires at midday local time on Monday.
As the war in the Middle East appeared to wind down over the weekend, the conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan intensified over the weekend.
Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghan forces had captured 25 Pakistani army border posts, leaving 30 soldiers wounded.
“The situation on all official borders and de facto lines of Afghanistan is under complete control and illegal activities have been largely prevented,” he added.
Pakistan accuses Kabul of harbouring the banned terror group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which it says is responsible for deadly attacks in the South Asian nation. Kabul denies the allegation, saying it does not allow its territory to be used against other countries.
Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, who is visiting India, told reporters that Kabul respected the calls from Gulf countries to stop what he called “retaliatory strikes” against Pakistan.
He added, however, that Afghanistan reserved the right to protect itself. “We want a peaceful resolution of the situation,” Mr Muttaqi said, “but if the peace efforts do not succeed, we have other options.”
The Independent has contacted Taliban officials for comment on Mr Trump’s offer to end the conflict with Pakistan.
