New clashes break out between Pakistan and Taliban
New border clashes have broken out between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban forces, with both sides accusing each other of breaking a fragile ceasefire.
Residents fled overnight from the Afghan city of Spin Boldak, which lies along the 2,574 km border shared by the two countries.
A medical source in the nearby city of Kandahar told BBC Pashto that a local hospital had received the bodies of four people. It is not known whether there were any deaths on the Pakistani side.
While there have been sporadic clashes between the two in recent months, Afghanistan’s Taliban government has also accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes inside the country.
Both sides confirmed they exchanged fire throughout the night, but each blamed the other for starting the four-hour clash.
Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesman for Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accused the Taliban of “unjustified firing”.
The statement continued: “There was an immediate, appropriate and intense response by our armed forces. Pakistan remains fully alert and determined to ensure its territorial integrity and the security of our citizens.”
Meanwhile, a Taliban spokesman said Pakistan had “once again launched an attack” and was forced to respond.
Images taken from the region show that many Afghans fled on foot and in vehicles, and people in neighboring towns left the region for fear of the renewed conflict spreading.
The overnight clashes came less than two months after both sides agreed to a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Türkiye.
Although tensions remain high, the worst fighting between Pakistan and the Taliban since the group came to power in 2021 is over.
The Islamabad government has long accused Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban of providing shelter to armed groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan.
The Taliban government in Afghanistan denies the accusation and accuses Pakistan of blaming others for its “own security failures”.
Last week, delegations from both sides met in Saudi Arabia for a fourth round of talks on a broader peace deal, but no agreement was reached.
Sources familiar with the talks told BBC News that both sides agreed to maintain the ceasefire.
