PAKISTAN and Afghanistan exchanged heavy gunfire along their shared border late Friday, officials from both nations confirmed, as tensions escalated following stalled peace talks earlier this week.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani forces carried out attacks in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Prime Minister accused Afghan forces of “unprovoked firing” along the Chaman border.
“Pakistan remains fully alert and committed to ensuring its territorial integrity and the safety of our citizens,” Mosharraf Zaidi said in a statement.
The latest exchange occurred two days after a fresh round of peace talks between the South Asian neighbors ended without a breakthrough, though both sides agreed to maintain a fragile ceasefire.
The talks, held in Saudi Arabia over the past weekend, were the latest in a series of diplomatic efforts hosted by Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia aimed at easing tensions following deadly border clashes in October.
At the core of the dispute, Pakistan alleges that militants based in Afghanistan have carried out recent attacks on its territory, including suicide bombings involving Afghan nationals.
Kabul rejects these claims, maintaining that it cannot be held accountable for security incidents inside Pakistan.
Dozens were killed in the October clashes, marking the worst border violence since the Taliban assumed power in Afghanistan in 2021.