KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – At least six people, four civilians and two Taliban members, were killed and four others wounded in heavy overnight clashes between Pakistani troops and Taliban fighters in Spin Boldak, a border district in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, local sources told KabulNow.
The exchange of fire began at around 10 p.m. on Friday, and continued until about 1 a.m. when both sides reached an agreement to stop firing, the sources said.
A source within the Taliban in Kandahar confirmed that four civilians were killed and four others wounded, but did not comment on the reported deaths of two Taliban members.
Local sources said the wounded individuals were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment, with a man and a woman reported to be in critical condition.
Both Pakistan and the Taliban acknowledged the overnight exchange of fire, each blaming the other for initiating the fighting.
In a post on X, Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the Pakistani side “once again launched attacks” toward Afghanistan in Spin Boldak, prompting Taliban forces to respond. He did not provide casualty figures.
Pakistan’s government denied that its forces started the fighting. Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accused the Taliban of “unprovoked firing” in a post on X, saying Pakistan’s armed forces given an “immediate, befitting and intense response.”
“Pakistan remains fully alert and committed to ensuring its territorial integrity and the safety of our citizens,” Zaidi said.
The latest escalation comes less than two months after Pakistan and the Taliban agreed to a ceasefire mediated by Qatar and Turkey, ending a week of the most intense border fighting since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Despite the ceasefire, tensions between the two sides have persisted.
Islamabad has long accused the Taliban of providing shelter to armed groups behind attacks in Pakistan. The Taliban authorities deny this and say Pakistan is blaming others for their “own security failures.”
Delegations from both sides met in Saudi Arabia last week for a new round of talks on a broader peace settlement but failed to reach an agreement. Both sides had agreed to maintain the ceasefire.
