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At least 12 civilians have been killed and nearly 100 others injured in Afghanistan following fresh military clashes with Pakistan in the remote north-western border area.
Tuesday’s fight marked resumption of hostilities At least 23 Pakistani soldiers and about a dozen Afghan soldiers were killed in clashes over the weekend.
It was the worst incident of fighting between the neighbors since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Following this, Pakistan closed several crossings along the 2,600 km long border, bringing trade to a halt and leaving a large number of cargo vehicles stranded on both sides.
In the wake of the latest clashes, the Taliban claimed they “killed a large number of Pakistani soldiers”, captured their posts, confiscated their weapons and “destroyed” most of their facilities in response to the attack early Wednesday.
Government spokesperson, Zaudullah Mujahid, Afghan forces responded to the “invasion” of Pakistani troops in Spin Boldak, a border district of Kandahar province.
Pakistan accuses Taliban of starting fighting, says its forces are responding “unprovoked” Cross border firing by Afghan forces and local terrorists in Kurram area.
According to the Associated Press report, the Pakistani military claimed that the fighting was conducted by the Taliban “through divided villages in the area, without regard to the civilian population”.
It claimed to have killed 15 to 20 Afghan soldiers, injured several others and damaged their forward posts as well as a tank, Pakistan Television reported.
“Taliban forces attacked a Pakistani post near Chaman,” local administrator Habibullah Bangulzai told Reuters, referring to the village where the fighting was concentrated.
Fighting continued for about five hours in the early hours of the morning, he said, adding that Pakistani forces “repulsed” the attack.
The Asian neighbors have been locked in hostilities for years. Islamabad has long accused Kabul of harboring Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, a banned group that has been blamed for carrying out several major terror attacks in the country in recent years.
Kabul has denied the allegation.
US President Donald Trump had earlier this week signaled his willingness to mediate in the conflict between the neighbours.
China urged both sides to maintain peace and protect their citizens and investments, while Russia also urged restraint.