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At least four civilians have been killed in heavy firing on the border between Pakistan And afghanistan After the failure of peace talks between the two countries.
Clashes broke out on the border between Pakistani Army and Taliban In Afghanistan, both sides are accusing each other of breaking a ceasefire agreed two months ago.
Talks between Kabul and Islamabad An agreement aimed at reducing border tensions broke down in November, but a Qatar-brokered ceasefire still mostly stands.
A medical worker in Kandahar told BBC Pashto that four bodies had been brought to a local hospital. Four other people were injured in Afghanistan, while three people were injured in Pakistan.
Local Pakistani police officer Mohammad Sadiq claimed that the firing started from the Afghan side and that Pakistani troops opened fire near the Chaman border crossing, a major transit route. The clashes forced residents of the Afghan town of Spin Boldak in Kandahar district to flee overnight.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister of Pakistan also accused Afghan forces of “unprovoked firing” at the Chaman border. “Pakistan remains fully alert and committed to ensuring its territorial integrity and the security of our citizens,” spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi said in a statement.
But Afghan border police said Pakistani forces first threw a hand grenade, which then led to a reaction.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani forces launched attacks in Spin Boldak. “Unfortunately, this evening, the Pakistani side once again launched attacks on Afghanistan… forcing the forces of the Islamic Emirate to respond,” Mujahid wrote on Twitter.
The exchange came nearly a week after a new round of peace talks between the South Asian neighbors ended without any breakthrough, although both sides agreed to maintain their fragile ceasefire.
The talks in Saudi Arabia last weekend were the latest in a series of meetings. Earlier the discussion was hosted by Qatar and Türkiye.
Tensions between the two neighbors who share a 1,600-mile border escalated in October and deadly clashes left dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants dead, and hundreds injured on both sides.
The border clashes were preceded by suspected air strikes in Kabul on 9 October. The Taliban blamed Pakistan for the blasts and vowed revenge.
The fighting between the neighbors is the worst since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan in 2021. A Qatar-brokered ceasefire eased tensions somewhat but subsequent peace talks in Istanbul failed to reach an agreement.
Pakistan blames the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), for most terrorist attacks within its borders. Despite breaking away from the Afghan Taliban, the TTP remains closely associated with it and many of its fighters are believed to have taken refuge in Afghanistan since the Taliban came to power.