More than a dozen Afghan civilians have been killed and over 100 injured following fresh clashes between Afghan and Pakistani forces along the shared border, officials reported Wednesday.
Hostilities between the two countries reignited over the weekend, with cross-border shelling resulting in dozens of fatalities. Afghanistan claimed its forces had killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight operations, saying the attacks were in retaliation for repeated violations of its airspace and territory. Pakistan, meanwhile, reported losing 23 troops in the skirmishes.
Wednesday's fighting began before dawn and was concentrated near the village of Chaman, according to officials on both sides. Later in the day, Pakistan’s state broadcaster reported that Afghanistan had called for a ceasefire in the area.
Pakistani security sources and state media accused Afghan troops of initiating “unprovoked fire” in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. In response, Pakistani forces reportedly killed 30 Afghan Taliban fighters and destroyed a major training camp in Afghanistan’s Khost province used by the Pakistani Taliban.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Taliban government, alleged that Pakistan had used both light and heavy weaponry to strike Spin Boldak in southern Kandahar province, opposite Pakistan’s border town of Chaman. Mujahid claimed Afghan forces retaliated, killing several Pakistani soldiers, capturing military posts, and seizing weapons including tanks.
Pakistan's military denied these claims, accusing the Taliban of staging the attack through villages straddling the border, with disregard for civilian safety. It said Pakistani troops repelled the assault and killed between 15 and 20 Afghan Taliban fighters in Spin Boldak.
On Tuesday, Pakistan had also accused Afghan Taliban fighters of collaborating with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in an attack on its border posts in Kurram. The military said it successfully repelled the assault and inflicted significant damage on Afghan positions.
At Chaman hospital, Dr. Awais Ahmad confirmed that several injured civilians were being treated. Local residents reported seeing mortar fire near Pakistani villages, prompting many families to evacuate.
“This fighting has been going on since early morning,” said Najibullah Khan, a resident of Chaman. “People living near the border are leaving the area. The two sides should end the conflict to prevent more harm to civilians.”
Clashes had briefly ceased on Sunday after mediation efforts from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, but key border crossings remain closed.
The recent violence highlights the growing tension between the neighboring nations. Last Friday, the Taliban government accused Pakistan of launching airstrikes in Kabul and an eastern Afghan marketplace. In turn, Pakistani state media reported targeting TTP hideouts, which it says operate with support from Afghan territory.
Pakistan holds the Taliban-led Afghan government responsible for sheltering the TTP, a group responsible for multiple deadly attacks in Pakistan. Kabul has denied this, insisting it does not allow its soil to be used against other countries.