ISLAMABAD (AP) – Renewed clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen Afghan civilians and left over 100 others wounded early Wednesday, according to officials. The renewed fighting comes after a series of violent skirmishes that began on Saturday, leading to multiple fatalities across different border regions.
Afghanistan has claimed responsibility for killing 58 Pakistani soldiers as retaliation for what it alleged were repeated violations of its territory and airspace. In contrast, Pakistan's military reported the loss of 23 troops during this period. The recent escalation in hostilities began before dawn on Wednesday, impacting the border area near Chaman, a town in Pakistan's Balochistan province, where reports indicated intense fighting.
The Pakistani military accused Afghan forces of initiating “unprovoked fire” in Kurram, a district located in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Subsequent reports detailed that Pakistan's military operations had resulted in the death of 30 Afghan Taliban fighters near Kurram in Khost province, where they reportedly destroyed a significant training facility used by the Pakistani Taliban.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Taliban government based in Kabul, claimed that Pakistan employed heavy weaponry in its assaults on the Spin Boldak district in Kandahar province, directly opposite Chaman. He asserted that Afghan forces retaliated, killing several Pakistani soldiers and seizing military posts and equipment, including tanks.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's military dismissed the Afghan assertions, characterizing the violence along the Chaman border as a Taliban-led attack initiated from divided villages, with little regard for civilian safety. The military stated that they managed to repel the attack while reportedly inflicting casualties on the Afghan Taliban, with claims of killing between 15 and 20 operatives in Spin Boldak.
On Tuesday, the Pakistani military noted that Afghan Taliban forces collaborated with the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in a coordinated assault on Pakistani border outposts. Pakistani forces subsequently repelled these attacks, claiming to have caused significant losses on the Afghan side.
Medical personnel from Chaman Hospital have reported an influx of injured civilians due to the ongoing violence. Local witnesses observed mortars falling near Pakistani villages, prompting families to begin evacuating the affected areas. One resident of Chaman, Najibullah Khan, expressed the urgent need for both countries to cease hostilities to avoid further civilian casualties.
Although fighting temporarily ceased on Sunday following diplomatic appeals from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, border crossings remained closed. The renewed clashes highlight the enduring tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, exacerbated recently by accusations from the Taliban government regarding Pakistani airstrikes in Kabul and in a marketplace in eastern Afghanistan.
Furthermore, Pakistani state media reported that its military targeted TTP hideouts in response to these border incidents. The recent violence in Kurram has been described as a coordinated effort between Afghan forces and TTP fighters, leading Pakistan to destroy multiple Afghan installations while reportedly inflicting heavy damage upon the opposing forces.
Pakistan has frequently accused the Taliban administration of harboring TTP members, a claim that Kabul has consistently denied, asserting its commitment not to allow its territory to be used for actions against any country.
