At least four civilians were killed and four others wounded in an overnight exchange of fire at the Chaman–Spin Boldak border crossing, Afghan officials said on Saturday(December 7), marking the latest escalation between the two neighbours since deadly clashes in October. According to Reuters, the incident underscores the deepening volatility along the frontier despite recent diplomatic efforts to restore calm.

Abdul Karim Jahad, governor of Afghanistan’s Spin Boldak district, confirmed the casualties and said the fighting erupted late Friday night. The local hospital in Pakistan’s border town of Chaman reported treating three people with minor injuries, all of whom were later discharged.

Both sides traded accusations of initiating the confrontation despite a truce agreed following October’s violence, which left more than 70 people dead and hundreds injured.

“Unfortunately, tonight, the Pakistani side started attacking Afghanistan… and the forces of the Islamic Emirate were forced to respond,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a post on X.

Islamabad rejected the claim, saying Afghan forces fired first. “A short while ago, the Afghan Taliban regime resorted to unprovoked firing… An immediate, befitting and intense response has been given by our armed forces,” Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesman for Pakistan’s prime minister, stated on X.

Residents on the Afghan side said the exchange began around 10:30pm and continued for nearly two hours. Afghan officials said Pakistan used “light and heavy artillery,” and mortar rounds struck civilian homes, according to Kandahar’s information department chief Ali Mohammed Haqmal.

Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have steadily escalated since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, driven largely by security concerns. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harbouring militants particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) responsible for cross-border attacks, an allegation Kabul denies.

The October fighting ended with a ceasefire mediated by Qatar and Turkey, but multiple follow-up talks in Doha and Istanbul have failed to secure a lasting agreement. The border remains closed amid repeated flare-ups.

Last month, Kabul accused Pakistan of conducting air strikes in a border district, killing 10 people, including nine children a claim Islamabad denies. Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on November 28 that the ceasefire “is not holding” due to “major” attacks on its territory.

The renewed violence at Chaman–Spin Boldak underscores the fragility of the truce and the growing instability along one of South Asia’s most volatile frontiers.

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