Afghanistan and Pakistan experience increased border tensions following recent attacks

Clashes Erupt Along Afghanistan-Pakistan Border

Tensions between Afghan and Pakistani forces have escalated along their shared border region, with both sides accusing each other of initiating violence. The clashes occurred days after Pakistan conducted air strikes on Afghanistan’s Nangarhar and Paktika Provinces, which resulted in civilian casualties.

According to Zabihullah Noorani, head of the Afghan information department in the eastern Nangarhar Province, Pakistani forces were involved in the initial exchange of fire near the Shahkot area. The fighting has since subsided, with no reported Afghan casualties.

In a statement on X, Mosharraf Zaidi, a Pakistani government official, attributed the violence to Afghan forces firing unprovoked near the Torkham border area. He claimed that Pakistan’s security forces responded effectively and silenced Taliban aggression.

The clashes follow Sunday’s air strikes in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar and Paktika Provinces, which killed at least 13 civilians according to the UN mission in Afghanistan. The Taliban government reported at least 18 fatalities, while denying Pakistan’s assertion that over 80 fighters were killed.

Relations between the two countries have deteriorated in recent months, with land border crossings largely shut since October’s deadly fighting that resulted in over 70 casualties on both sides. Islamabad has accused Afghanistan of failing to act against armed groups responsible for attacks in Pakistan, which the Taliban government denies.

Pakistan’s military stated that its latest air strikes targeted “camps and hideouts” belonging to these armed groups. The Afghan Defence Ministry condemned the attacks, saying they hit a religious school and residential homes, causing dozens of deaths and injuries, including women and children.

Source: Al Jazeera