Fresh fighting erupted overnight along the Afghanistan–Pakistan frontier, leaving civilians dead and rekindling tensions between the neighbouring states after a fragile ceasefire. Officials on both sides said the skirmishes — centred around the Chaman–Spin Boldak area — involved heavy gunfire and artillery that lasted several hours.
Afghan authorities said at least five civilians were killed, including children, and several more were wounded; Pakistani officials gave similar but slightly differing casualty figures and said one of their soldiers was also killed. Local hospitals on both sides reported receiving the injured. The Associated Press and other outlets reported the deaths included three children and a woman among Afghan civilian fatalities.
Each side blamed the other for starting the exchange. Afghan spokespeople accused Pakistani forces of opening fire on Spin Boldak, while Pakistani officials said Afghan forces had fired first and described the incident as an “unprovoked” attack. The violence violated a ceasefire that had been brokered recently in talks mediated by Qatar.
The flare-up takes place against a backdrop of sharply deteriorated relations since earlier large-scale clashes in October, when both sides traded airstrikes and artillery and each reported heavy casualties. Islamabad has frequently pointed to militants — including the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) — taking refuge across the border in Afghanistan as a key security concern, and cross-border militant attacks have been cited repeatedly as a trigger for Pakistani operations.
Humanitarian and security consequences were immediate: border crossings were temporarily disrupted, thousands of local residents sought shelter or fled frontline villages, and aid and transport were affected in the border districts. International and local agencies called for restraint and the protection of civilians while urging both sides to return to talks to prevent further escalation.
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