Cross-border firings kill 4 in Afghanistan as clashes with Pakistan continue despite fragile ceasefire

Key Highlights

• Meanwhile, officials from both sides argued that the clashes broke out late on Friday night, with two countries blaming each other for starting the fighting. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADIn a post on X, the spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban government, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Pakistani forces had “launched attacks towards” the Spin Boldak district, prompting Afghan forces to respond.
• Meanwhile, a spokesperson from Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said it was the Afghan forces who carried out “unprovoked firing” along the Chaman border. More from World Pakistan’s nightmare: How Chabahar is becoming India’s strategic bridge to Afghanistan Afghanistan: 13-year-old boy carries out public execution of man convicted of murder, 80,000 watch“Pakistan remains fully alert and committed to ensuring its territorial integrity and the safety of our citizens,” spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi said in a statement. Strained ties between the two nationsThe Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan soured since the Taliban came to power in 2021.
• One of the major reasons for this downfall is due to Islamabad’s accusations that Kabul is providing sanctuary to several armed groups, including the Pakistan Taliban (TTP). It is pertinent to note that TTP has waged a terror campaign against the state of Pakistan since 2007.
• On Wednesday, a roadside bombing in Pakistan near the Afghan border claimed by the TTP killed three Pakistani police officers.
• Pakistan also went on to accuse Afghanistan of sheltering the Balochistan Liberation Army and a local ISIL/ISIS affiliate known as the ISKP – even though the ISKP is a sworn enemy of the Afghan Taliban. Meanwhile, the Taliban in power in Afghanistan denied the allegations, insisting that it cannot be held responsible for security inside Pakistan, and has accused Islamabad of intentionally spreading misinformation and provoking border tensions. Quick ReadsView AllAustralia: Wildfires trigger top-level evacuation alerts in New South WalesCanada removes Syria from terror list, drops HTS designation as sanctions easeIn October, a week of deadly fighting erupted on their shared border, which was triggered after Islamabad demanded that Kabul rein in the fighters stepping up attacks in Pakistan.