Pakistan, Afghanistan trade border fire; no casualties

Talks between Islamabad and Kabul meant to ease tensions and maintain the truce collapsed in November, although the Qatar-brokered agreement from October has largely remained in place.

The latest exchange occurred a day after Pakistan agreed to let the United Nations move relief supplies into Afghanistan through the largely closed Chaman and Torkham crossings.

Mohammad Sadiq, a Pakistani police official, said Afghan forces fired first near the vital Chaman crossing, prompting Pakistan to respond. In contrast, Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed Pakistan initiated the shooting in Kandahar’s Spin Boldak district, forcing Afghan forces to return fire. Afghan border police spokesman Abidullah Farooqi also alleged that Pakistani troops threw a grenade into the Afghan side before the clash, adding that Afghanistan still supports the ceasefire.

Meanwhile, Mosharraf Zaidi, speaking for Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, wrote on X that the Afghan Taliban fired “unprovoked shots” earlier in the evening and that Pakistan’s military remains vigilant in defending its territory and citizens.

Border tensions have been running high since deadly clashes in October left dozens dead and hundreds injured on both sides following explosions in Kabul that the Taliban blamed on Pakistan. The violence marked the worst confrontation between the neighbors in years. Although the Qatar-mediated ceasefire helped reduce hostilities, follow-up talks in Istanbul failed to reach a lasting solution.

Pakistan continues to accuse the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) — a group separate from but closely linked to the Afghan Taliban — of carrying out most militant attacks inside Pakistan. Many TTP fighters are believed to have found refuge in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in 2021, further straining relations, reports UNB.