Border tensions spike as Pakistan and Afghanistan trade late-night gunfire, with failed mediation efforts and rising civilian casualties deepening fears of a worsening cross-border conflict.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated sharply late on Friday as forces on both sides exchanged heavy gunfire along the border, prolonging a confrontation that has persisted for more than a month and defying renewed diplomatic efforts to restore calm.
The clash erupted around 10 p.m. in the Spin Boldak–Chaman corridor — one of the most sensitive stretches of the frontier — and continued late into the night, according to local Pakistani officials quoted by Dawn. Hospitals in Chaman reported receiving three injured civilians, including a woman, highlighting the growing humanitarian toll on communities straddling the border.
The caretaker Afghan government accused Pakistan of firing first. Its spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Pakistani forces launched attacks inside the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province, prompting Afghan fighters to return fire. “The Pakistani side once again launched attacks… prompting the Islamic Emirate forces to respond,” he wrote on X.
Islamabad, however, has consistently claimed that its operations along the border target militant networks believed to be based inside Afghanistan — a charge Kabul rejects.
The latest flare-up comes days after Saudi Arabia attempted to mediate a ceasefire between the two neighbours — efforts that reportedly collapsed without progress. Previous rounds of talks facilitated by Turkey and Qatar also failed to produce an agreement on mechanisms for long-term border stability.
The border zone has witnessed repeated artillery fire, ground clashes and air raids in recent weeks, with Islamabad allegedly carrying out strikes inside Afghan territory. Kabul condemned the attacks, calling them a blatant violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and international norms.
Afghan authorities said ten civilians — nine of them children — were killed in air strikes in Khost, with separate attacks in Kunar and Paktika injuring four others. Mujahid warned that a “necessary response” would be issued at an appropriate time, accusing Pakistan’s military actions of being driven by “flawed intelligence” and deepening regional instability.
