Pakistan and Taliban forces traded heavy fire along their border late Friday, officials from both sides confirmed, leaving at least five people dead in Afghanistan and deepening tensions just days after high-stakes peace talks collapsed.
Each side accused the other of violating a fragile two-month ceasefire as fresh clashes erupted along the border near Afghanistan’s Spin Boldak in Kandahar province.
Abidullah Farooqi, a spokesman for the Afghan border police, said Friday night that Pakistani forces first threw a hand grenade into the Spin Boldak border area on the Afghan side, prompting a response.
Afghan Taliban deputy spokesman, Hamdullah Fitra, told Reuters that Pakistani shelling killed five people, including one Taliban member.
Blaming Pakistan for ceasefire violation, Ali Mohammad Haqmal, head of information for Spin Boldak district, said that Afghan side didn’t respond for 10-15 minutes after Pakistani forces began shooting, and that once the Afghan side responded, it stopped firing “within an hour.” The shooting by the Pakistani side continued until Saturday morning, he said.
What Pakistan said
Islamabad offered a different account. A spokesperson for Pakistan’s prime minister accused Afghan forces of initiating “unprovoked firing” along the Chaman border.
“Pakistan remains fully alert and committed to ensuring its territorial integrity and the safety of our citizens,” Spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi said in a statement.
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Mohammad Sadiq, a local Pakistani police official cited by AP, claimed the shooting started from the Afghan side and that Pakistani troops returned fire near the Chaman border crossing, a key transit route.
The exchange came a day after Pakistan said it would allow the United Nations to send relief supplies into Afghanistan through the Chaman and Torkham border crossings, which have been mostly closed for nearly two months amid escalating tensions.
A hospital official in Chaman town reported that three people — including a woman — were injured after shooting and shelling from the Afghan side. Police said the hostilities continued until dawn on Saturday.
The conflict
The exchange of fire comes nearly a week after a fresh round of peace talks between the neighbours ended without progress.
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Despite agreeing to maintain a fragile ceasefire, negotiators in Saudi Arabia failed to break the impasse that has persisted through multiple meetings hosted by Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, all aimed at reducing tensions after deadly border clashes in October.
At the core of the standoff is Pakistan’s allegation that Afghan-based militants have recently carried out attacks on its soil, including suicide bombings involving Afghan nationals. Kabul has rejected the accusations, saying it cannot be held responsible for Pakistan’s internal security.
October’s violence, which killed dozens, marked the worst border clashes since the Taliban seized power in 2021.
