Fresh clashes broke out between Pakistani and Afghan forces along the joint border early Wednesday, with both sides accusing the other of initiating hostilities.
The fighting comes amid tensions over Pakistan’s allegations that Afghanistan is harboring anti-Pakistan militants, with Islamabad asking the Afghan Taliban administration to take action against them.
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, for their part, deny that such terrorists take refuge in their country.
Afghanistan has made similar allegations against Pakistan.
What caused the fight to break out?
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Army, “Afghan Taliban carried out cowardly attacks at four locations in Spin Boldak area of Balochistan.”
ISPR said fighters from both the Afghan Taliban and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were involved in the attacks.
It said at least 20 fighters from the Afghan side were killed and several were injured.
ISPR said a similar attack was foiled overnight in the Kurram region of the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in which at least 30 Afghan Taliban and TTP fighters were feared dead.
Afghanistan’s Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid accused Pakistan of carrying out the attack in Spin Boldak.
He said 12 civilians were killed and more than 100 were injured in the fighting.
Mujahid said Afghan forces were forced to respond to shelling and firing by Pakistani forces, resulting in the elimination of several Pakistani attackers, capture of their posts and bases, seizure of weapons and tanks and destruction of critical military infrastructure.
Clashes continue on Afghan-Pakistan border
This is the second time this week that the two sides have clashed on the long border. There were clashes last week, in which the Taliban claimed to have killed 58 Pakistani soldiers.
However, Pakistan gave lower figures, saying it lost 23 soldiers and killed more than 200 “Taliban and affiliated terrorists” in retaliation along the border.
Edited by: Wesley Rahn