Pakistan reports a new clash with Afghan forces along border

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Clashes erupted Tuesday between Pakistani and Afghan forces in a remote northwestern border region, with state-run media in Pakistan accusing Afghan troops of opening “unprovoked fire” that was repulsed.

Pakistani forces responded, damaging Afghan tanks and military posts, according to Pakistan TV and two security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Tahir Ahrar, a deputy police spokesperson in Afghanistan’s Khost province, confirmed the clashes but provided no further details.

This is the second time this week that the two sides have traded fire along their long border.

According to Pakistan’s state-run media, Afghan forces and Pakistani Taliban jointly opened fire at a Pakistani post “without provocation,” prompting what the media described as a “strong response” from Pakistani troops in Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Security officials said Pakistan's military also destroyed a sprawling training facility of the Pakistani Taliban.

There was no immediate comment from Pakistan’s military, which has been on high alert since Saturday, when both sides traded fire across multiple border regions, resulting in dozens of casualties on each side.

Although the clashes halted on Sunday after appeals from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, all border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained closed.

Over the weekend, Kabul said that it targeted several Pakistani military posts and killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in retaliation for what it called repeated violations of Afghan territory and airspace. Pakistan’s military reported lower figures, saying it lost 23 soldiers and killed more than 200 “Taliban and affiliated terrorists” in retaliatory fire along the frontier.

Tensions have remained high since last week, when the Taliban government accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes in Kabul and in an eastern market. Pakistan has not acknowledged those allegations.

But Pakistan has previously launched strikes inside Afghanistan, saying it targets hideouts of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, which is separate from but allied to the Afghan Taliban.

Pakistan accuses Kabul of harboring the group, which has carried out numerous deadly attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul denies the charge, saying it does not allow its territory to be used against other countries.

Associated Press writer Abdul Qahar Afghan in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, contributed to this story.

Local residents, who fled their homes following border clashes between Pakistan and Afghan forces, wait for transportation in Chaman, a town on the Pakistan side of the border, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/H. Achakzai)

People bring a man, who was injured in the clashes between Pakistan and Afghan forces in border area, for medical treatment at a hospital in Chaman, a town on the Pakistan side of the border, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/H. Achakzai)

Local residents, who fled their homes following border clashes between Pakistan and Afghan forces, wait for transportation in Chaman, a town on the Pakistan side of the Afghanistan border, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/H. Achakzai)

Drivers sit beside their trucks as cargo vehicles bound for Pakistan remain stranded on the Afghan side of the Torkham border crossing, which stayed closed after clashes, in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Wahidullah Kakar)

A line of cargo trucks bound for Pakistan is stranded on the Afghan side of the Torkham border crossing, which remained closed after clashes, in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Wahidullah Kakar)

A line of cargo trucks bound for Pakistan is stranded on the Afghan side of the Torkham border crossing, which remained closed after clashes, in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Wahidullah Kakar)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jared Goff tried to find the positives for the Lions — such as, a 40-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams — that seemingly meant little in a loss when an offense takes an oh-fer on fourth downs.

Goff and the Lions fizzled on fourth.

Try, 0 for 5.

“The fourth downs were the whole thing,” Goff said. “I don't know what we were on third down.”

Don't look at the stat sheet, Jared.

Try, 3 for 13 on third downs.

The Lions failed time after time to get a first down that could have sustained a drive or led to a score against an Eagles defense that turned in a masterpiece. Goff threw for only one touchdown and the failures on fourth doomed the Lions in a 16-9 loss to Philadelphia on Sunday night.

“You'd like to think if we got a fourth down or two, it changes the game,” Goff said.

The Eagles pressured Goff into his worst game of the season, only a week after he threw for 320 yards and three TDs in win at Washington. He was just 14 of 37 passing for 255 yards — with one touchdown and one interception — and his 37.8 completion percentage was the worst of his 10-year career. He entered Sunday completing a league-high 74% of his passes.

Goff was 7 of 25 passing in the second half, the 28% on completions were the lowest in a second half for any quarterback with at least 20-plus attempts since Houston's Brian Hoyer in 2015 (26.1%).

True, the Lions played without tight end Sam LaPorta — placed on the injured list ahead of the game with a back injury — yet even he couldn't have bumped those brutal third- and fourth-down conversations to a competitive number.

The Lions entered averaging 31.4 points per game but scored only one touchdown against the Eagles.

Most of the offensive struggles could be pinned on the Eagles.

Defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis combined for five batted passes. Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips had five tackles, a sack and four QB pressures.

Lions coach Dan Campbell replaced offensive coordinator John Morton as the play-caller last week. Campbell wasn’t ready to say it was a permanent move, although he called plays again against the Eagles.

Campbell wasn’t much of an improvement.

‘I didn’t help those guys," Campbell said. “I hate that.”

The Lions’ notable failure came late in the third quarter while trailing 13-6 after Jared Goff connected with Jahmyr Gibbs for a 42-yard gain that took the ball to the Eagles 22. The Lions went on to get a first-and-goal at the 8, but they turned the ball over on downs.

“We get in the red zone, we have to score a touchdown,” Campbell said. “We can't get away with not scoring there.”

Gibbs finished with 107 yards receiving.

Goff hit Williams for a 40-yard score that tied the game at 6-all late in the second quarter. Williams celebrated by jumping onto the goal post padding and bear-hugging the upright, which earned him a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

On a blustery night in Philly, those lost yards cost the Lions when Jake Bates was wide right on the 48-yard extra point. Bates did kick a 54-yard field goal with 1:58 left.

“That's not going to be the norm, what happened today,” Campbell said of overall offensive inefficiency. “I don't believe that's going to be here to stay.”

The Lions once failed to convert any of six fourth-down attempts in a 2022 game against Washington, the most failed attempts in any NFL game since at least 1991.

The Lions' offense cost them a win in Philadelphia and —- at least temporarily — a spot in the NFC playoff standings. The Super Bowl champion Eagles stand atop the NFC at 8-2 and the 49ers (7-4) hold the final playoff spot. The Lions host the New York Giants on Sunday.

“I believe this is the best thing for us,” Campbell said. “We're going to learn from this. We're going to get better. We're going to adjust. We'll be hitting our stride when other teams are going to hit their adversity.”

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Detroit Lions' Jahmyr Gibbs (0) runs with the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)