Four civilians killed as Afghanistan, Pakistan trade heavy fire along tense border

Afghanistan says four civilians were killed during heavy exchanges of fire with Pakistani forces along their shared border, further straining ties between the two neighbours. The clashes erupted late on Friday near Spin Boldak in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province and along Pakistan’s Chaman sector, with each side accusing the other of firing first.

Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani forces launched attacks towards Spin Boldak, prompting a response from Afghan forces, while a spokesperson for Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed the incident “unprovoked firing” by Afghan forces and said Pakistan remained fully alert to protect its territory and citizens. Local officials in Kandahar reported that Pakistan used light and heavy artillery and that mortar rounds struck civilian homes before both sides agreed to halt the fighting.

Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have deteriorated since the Taliban takeover in 2021, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of sheltering armed groups including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Balochistan Liberation Army and an ISIL/ISIS affiliate, charges the Afghan Taliban deny. A series of border clashes in October left around 70 people dead on both sides before an October 19 ceasefire deal in Doha, but subsequent talks in Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia have failed to deliver a lasting settlement.

Despite the truce, Afghan authorities have repeatedly accused Pakistan of carrying out air strikes in eastern and southeastern provinces in recent weeks, including an attack in Khost province in late November that they say killed nine children and a woman, an allegation Pakistan has rejected. The latest round of talks in Saudi Arabia last weekend ended without a breakthrough, underscoring the fragility of the ceasefire as fresh violence flares along the frontier.