Fresh clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan have left dozens of troops and civilians dead, marking one of the bloodiest border confrontations in months.
Officials from both countries confirmed the renewed violence on Wednesday as fighting entered its second week.
The conflict erupted after several explosions rocked Afghanistan last week, including two deadly blasts in Kabul, which Pakistani authorities blamed on Afghan-based militants.
In response, the Taliban government in Kabul launched an offensive along parts of the southern border, vowing retaliation for what it called repeated Pakistani incursions.
Pakistan’s military accused the Afghan Taliban of attacking two major border posts in the southwest and northwest.
The army said it repelled the assaults and killed at least 20 Taliban fighters near Spin Boldak, in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar Province, early Wednesday.
The statement claimed the attacks were launched from divided villages, with no regard for civilian lives.
Pakistan also said about 30 more Taliban fighters were killed during overnight clashes near its northwest frontier.
However, Afghan officials disputed those claims. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said 15 civilians were killed and over 100 wounded during the exchanges.
He accused Pakistani troops of using heavy weapons and mortar fire that struck residential areas in Spin Boldak.
Ali Mohammad Haqmal, an Afghan regional information officer, said the bombardment destroyed several homes.
“Civilians were killed by mortar fire. Many families have fled the area,” he said.
A senior Afghan official added that the Taliban had seized several Pakistani military posts and weapons before calm was restored.
Pakistan’s military dismissed that account as “outrageous and blatant lies,” saying its soldiers remained in control of all positions.
Pakistan did not release an official death toll for its forces, but it earlier confirmed losing 23 soldiers in the initial wave of clashes last week.
Residents along the Chaman–Spin Boldak border described the fighting as terrifying.
“Houses were fired upon, including my cousin’s. His son and wife were killed,” said Sadiq, a resident of Spin Boldak.
Others reported chaos as families fled under heavy shelling.
In a separate incident in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a new militant group, Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen, claimed responsibility for an attack that killed seven Pakistani frontier troops.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, told parliament last week that repeated efforts to convince the Afghan Taliban to stop supporting the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had failed. Islamabad accuses the group of killing hundreds of its soldiers since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.