Four Afghan civilians were killed and five others injured in an overnight clash between Afghan and Pakistani forces along their shared border, Afghan officials said Friday, highlighting rising tensions as the two countries conduct peace talks in Istanbul.

The exchange of fire occurred Thursday night near the Chaman border in southwest Pakistan, though a tense calm prevailed afterward. Both sides blamed the other for violating the ceasefire brokered by Qatar last month.

Ali Mohammad Haqmal, head of the Information and Culture Department in Spin Boldak, accused Pakistan of initiating the attack but said Afghan forces refrained from responding due to ongoing peace talks. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi dismissed the Afghan claim, asserting that Afghan forces started the shooting. The ministry said the situation was quickly brought under control and that the Oct. 19 ceasefire remained in place.

Pakistan’s delegation, led by National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. Asim Malik, is discussing cross-border security issues with the Afghan side, headed by Abdul Haq Wasiq, director of general intelligence. Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban government of sheltering militants responsible for attacks across the border, a claim Kabul denies.

Tensions escalated last month after deadly clashes killed dozens of soldiers, civilians, and suspected militants on both sides, following explosions in Kabul on Oct. 9, which the Taliban blamed on Pakistan. The violence subsided only after Qatar mediated a ceasefire.

In recent months, Pakistan has faced a rise in attacks from Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a UN- and U.S.-designated terrorist group closely allied with the Afghan Taliban. Many TTP fighters are believed to be taking refuge in Afghanistan, adding strain to relations between the two neighbors.