At least 58 Pakistani soldiers and nine Taliban fighters were killed in weekend border clashes, Taliban chief spokesman said Sunday, marking one of the deadliest confrontations between the two sides in recent years.

Zabihullah Mujahid said they launched a retaliatory operation Saturday night "along the Durand Line", the disputed frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan, following Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory the previous day.

He claimed Taliban forces overran dozens of Pakistani military posts before halting the offensive under mediation efforts led by Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Mujahid said the operation was suspended but warned that hostilities have not fully stopped. He added that additional Pakistani attacks took place Sunday in the provinces of Paktia and Helmand, and said Taliban forces remain on high alert.

In Islamabad, Pakistani officials strongly condemned the Taliban`s actions. Local media, citing military sources, reported that the Pakistani army destroyed at least 20 Taliban checkpoints and, in some cases, set them ablaze. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accused the Taliban of aligning with Pakistan`s "historic enemy" India, while Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif alleged the Taliban were sheltering militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan.

The fighting underscores deepening tensions along the Durand Line, a 2,600-kilometer colonial-era border that has long been a flashpoint between the two countries. The Taliban do not recognize the line as an official border, and Pakistan has repeatedly accused Taliban of providing safe haven to fighters from Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant organization responsible for deadly assaults on Pakistani forces.

Cross-border hostilities have escalated since the Taliban`s return to power in 2021. Islamabad has also launched a controversial crackdown on Afghan refugees, further straining ties between the two governments.

Diplomatic efforts were underway over the weekend to ease tensions. Taliban officials said Qatar and Saudi Arabia intervened to halt the fighting, though there were no immediate confirmations from either Gulf state. At the same time, the Taliban`s acting foreign minister traveled to India, in a visit analysts say may further unsettle relations with Pakistan.

Both sides said their forces remain on alert amid fears of renewed violence.