5 dead and 8 wounded in overnight clash at Afghan-Pakistan border, officials confirm

An overnight armed confrontation along the AfghanPakistan frontier resulted in the deaths of five Afghan civilians and injuries to eight people in total, according to officials from both nations. The incident occurred near Spin Boldak in Afghanistans Kandahar province and broke out despite a fragile ceasefire that has held for nearly two months.

Among those killed on the Afghan side were three children and a woman. Afghan authorities stated that Pakistani troops initiated the gunfire, prompting a response from local forces after a brief delay. They said Afghan fire ceased within an hour, while Pakistani shooting continued into early Saturday.

Officials in Pakistans border city of Chaman reported three civilian injuries, including a woman, asserting that the clash began from the Afghan side. The exchange involved both gunfire and shelling and lasted until dawn.

Border tensions have remained severe since October, when intense clashes caused numerous military and civilian casualties, following explosions in Kabul that the Taliban administration attributed to Pakistan. These events marked the most serious fighting between the two neighbors in recent years.

A ceasefire mediated by Qatar has largely remained in place since October, although talks have yet to produce lasting terms. Pakistan has sustained repeated militant attacks, accusing the Pakistani Taliban of responsibility. The group is closely aligned with the Afghan Taliban, and many of its fighters are believed to be based in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in 2021.

Afghan border police reported that Pakistani forces hurled a grenade into the Spin Boldak zone before gunfire erupted, while reiterating Kabuls commitment to the ceasefire. Pakistan, in turn, claimed its personnel only returned fire after shots were fired from Afghan territory near the Chaman crossing, a vital transit route.

The exchange came shortly after Pakistan agreed to permit the United Nations to deliver humanitarian supplies into Afghanistan through two main crossings, which have been largely closed for weeks amid heightened friction.

In a separate development, Pakistans military announced that nine Pakistani Taliban fighters were killed in security operations conducted on Friday in the districts of Tank and Lakki Marwat, near the Afghan border.

Author: Grace Ellison