Hostilities between Pakistani and Afghan forces continue to deepen as clashes broke out once again, with reports of 12 Afghan civilians dead and a further 100 injured.
Ongoing Afghanistan–Pakistan border tensions have flared up once again, with both sides accusing each other of triggering the overnight violence in Afghanistan’s southeastern Spin Boldak area, which borders the Balochistan province in Pakistan.
The Pakistan Army has officially claimed that the pre-dawn attack was launched by the IEA at four locations in Balochistan.
The statement said that eight Afghan posts and six tanks “were destroyed”, while “25–30 Afghan Taliban and Fitna Al Khwarij (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) fighters were suspected to have been killed.”
However, Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, has said that 12 Afghan civilians were killed and over 100 injured in the clashes.
Mujahid claimed that Afghan forces captured a tank from the Pakistani side of the border in its “counterattacks”.
The spokesperson added that the government of Afghanistan was seeking a ceasefire following the “powerful response” from Pakistan.
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Pakistan’s security forces also claimed to have “eliminated several terrorists” and “seized US-made weapons in the Kurram sector” of the north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
Conflicting claims from both Afghanistan and Pakistan
Ali Mohammad Haqmal, a press spokesman in Afghanistan’s Spin Boldak district, put the civilian death toll at 15.
Adding to the casualties, AFP news agency quoted a district hospital official as saying that 80 women and children are among the wounded being treated.
Mujahid claimed that Afghan forces returned fire after an initial attack and killed a “large number” of Pakistani soldiers.
The Pakistani Army has refuted these claims, stating that Afghan forces were the first to fire on a Pakistani military post.
A security official told Reuters that six Pakistani soldiers were killed, with the firefight lasting around five hours.
The Pakistan Army also released a statement in which it said: “The insinuations that the attack was initiated by Pakistan are outrageous and blatant lies. Just like the claims of capturing Pakistani posts or equipment, the Armed Forces stand resolute and fully prepared to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan.”
Why the clashes have been happening
The most recent attacks came days after an initial skirmish broke out following a surge in terrorist attacks linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The TTP is a Pashtun militant group with strong ties to Afghanistan that operates along the Afghan–Pakistan border. Pakistan has outlawed them as a terrorist organisation and has accused Kabul of failing to prevent the TTP from carrying out attacks in Pakistan – allegations which Afghanistan has denied.
Kamal Hyder, an Al Jazeera reporter, labelled last night’s fighting as a “serious escalation” that could “lead to something much bigger”.
Pakistan and Afghanistan share a 2,640 km (1,640 miles) border, drawn up by the then Foreign Secretary of British India, Sir Mortimer Durand, in 1893 – known as the “Durand Line”.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has refused to officially recognise the Durand Line as an official border to this day, while Pakistan recognised it in 1947.
