Afghan, Pakistani forces exchange heavy fire as tensions flare

Relations person soured betwixt erstwhile allies Afghanistan and Pakistan since the Taliban returned to powerfulness successful 2021.

Afghanistan and Pakistan’s forces person exchanged dense occurrence on their borderline arsenic tensions betwixt the South Asian neighbours escalate aft bid talks successful Saudi Arabia failed to nutrient a breakthrough.

Officials from some sides said the skirmishes broke retired precocious connected Friday night, with the 2 countries accusing 1 different of opening occurrence first.

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In a station connected X, the spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Taliban government, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Pakistani forces had “launched attacks towards” the Spin Boldak territory successful the Kandahar province, prompting Afghan forces to respond.

A spokesperson for Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said it was the Afghan forces who carried retired “unprovoked firing” on the Chaman border.

“Pakistan remains afloat alert and committed to ensuring its territorial integrity and the information of our citizens,” spokesperson Mosharraf Zaidi said successful a statement.

Unfortunately, this evening the Pakistani broadside erstwhile again launched attacks towards Afghanistan successful the Spin Boldak territory of Kandahar, prompting the Islamic Emirate forces to respond.

— Zabihullah (..ذبـــــیح الله م ) (@Zabehulah_M33) December 5, 2025

Residents connected the Afghan broadside of the borderline told the AFP quality bureau that the speech of occurrence broke retired astir 10:30pm section clip (18:00 GMT) and lasted astir 2 hours.

Ali Mohammad Haqmal, caput of Kandahar’s accusation department, told AFP that Pakistan forces attacked with “light and dense artillery” and that mortar occurrence had struck civilian homes.

“The clashes person ended, some sides agreed to stop,” helium added.

There were nary contiguous reports of casualties from either side.

Strained ties

Relations person soured betwixt Afghanistan and Pakistan since the Taliban returned to powerfulness successful 2021, mostly owed to Islamabad’s accusations that Kabul is providing sanctuary to respective equipped groups, including the Pakistan Taliban (TTP).

The TTP has waged a sustained run against the Pakistani authorities since 2007 and is often described arsenic the ideological duplicate of the Afghan Taliban. Most recently, connected Wednesday, a roadside bombing successful Pakistan adjacent the Afghan borderline claimed by the TTP killed 3 Pakistani constabulary officers.

Pakistan besides accuses Afghanistan of sheltering the Balochistan Liberation Army and a section ISIL/ISIS affiliate known arsenic the ISKP – adjacent though the ISKP is simply a sworn force of the Afghan Taliban.

The Afghan Taliban denies the charges, saying it cannot beryllium held liable for information wrong Pakistan, and has accused Islamabad of intentionally spreading misinformation and provoking borderline tensions.

A week of deadly warring connected their shared borderline erupted successful October, triggered aft Islamabad demanded that Kabul rein successful the fighters stepping up attacks successful Pakistan.

About 70 radical were killed connected some sides of the borderline and hundreds much wounded earlier Afghan and Pakistani officials signed a ceasefire agreement successful Qatar’s superior Doha connected October 19.

That agreement, however, has been followed by a bid of unsuccessful talks hosted by Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia aimed astatine cementing a longer-term truce.

The latest circular of talks, held successful Saudi Arabia past weekend, failed to nutrient a breakthrough, though some sides agreed to proceed their fragile ceasefire.

Despite the truce, Kabul has accused its neighbour of carrying retired repeated aerial strikes successful Afghanistan’s eastbound provinces implicit caller weeks.

One onslaught reportedly carried retired by the Pakistani subject connected a location successful Afghanistan’s southeastern Khost state successful precocious November reportedly killed 9 children and a woman. Pakistan denied that it carried retired immoderate specified attack.