The Taliban and Pakistani forces clashed for hours on Sunday in the border areas of the eastern Afghan province of Paktia. These clashes have so far left at least five people dead, including civilians, and 15 others wounded, local sources confirmed.
A local source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the dead bodies and the wounded have been transferred to Samkanai and Paktia provincial hospitals. The source added that the Taliban forces have also suffered casualties in these clashes.
These cross-border clashes erupted on Sunday evening, November 20, between the Taliban and Pakistani forces in Dand-e-Patan district of Paktia province.
Clashes at this border area intensified after a Pakistani border guard was killed by an Afghan man at the Chaman-Spinboldak border crossing in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar a week earlier. Since then, Pakistan has shut its border reportedly making the handover of the assailant by the Taliban a condition to re-open it.
Despite these intensified recent skirmishes, the Dawn – a Pakistani newspaper – reported that the Chaman-Spinboldak border crossing is set to reopen today as Pakistan has agreed conditionally to do so.
Another source in Dand-e-Patan district of Paktia confirmed that Pakistani forces were shelling civilian houses in Afghanistan with mortar fires.
The source added that the Taliban have destroyed at least three security outposts of the Pakistani border forces.
In the meantime, Pakistani media also reported that civilians have been wounded on the Pakistani side of the border as a result of these clashes.
