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Fresh fighting broke out along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier early on Wednesday morning, with each side blaming the other of starting deadly confrontations.

The Pakistani military announced that its forces had killed "15-20 Taliban fighters" and wounded many in the Spin Boldak frontier area.

A Taliban government spokesman claimed that 12 Afghan civilians had been killed and more than 100 injured by Pakistani firing. He further stated that several military personnel had been killed. Not one of the reported fatalities could be verified by third parties.

Hostilities between the neighbouring countries has escalated since explosions rocked Afghanistan last week, which the Afghan capital attributed on Islamabad. The Afghan leadership reject allegations that it is sheltering militants aiming at Pakistan.

Social Media and Military Engagements

The two sides are not only battling for the advantage on the frontier, but also on social media, attempting to convince the general population that their side is inflicting greater losses.

The most recent clashes come after intense cross-border hostilities over the weekend, when the Taliban claimed to have killed fifty-eight members of the Pakistani military and Pakistan reported it killed 200 "militants and linked terrorists". The reported casualty figures announced by both parties could not be independently verified.

A few days of unstable calm that had lasted since the weekend were broken on Wednesday morning.

On-the-Ground Reports and Impact

Videos purportedly of the conflict and its aftermath have been shared on the internet and on social channels, including images claiming to be of those killed and grainy shots from night vision cameras claiming to be of check posts demolished. These videos have not been authenticated.

A source in the border area in Afghanistan stated that fighting broke out at around 04:00 local time (11:30 p.m. GMT on the previous day). Another resident in the district, who lives about one kilometre away from the border crossing, said that "intense hostilities persisted for almost five hours".

"I see unmanned aircraft and jets flying over us, some of our family members are wounded," they added.

A doctor in one of the hospitals in the region stated that he counted "seven fatalities and 36 wounded transported to the medical center", including men, females and children.

The situation were "strained" and more victims were being transferred to hospital, he said.

Displacement and International Reactions

A regional authority figure in Spin Boldak stated that "numerous of households have been displaced since last night due to the intense fighting". He said they were on "high alert" after a few Taliban posts were attacked by aircraft from Pakistan. He added that they had the remains of 2 armed forces members.

In a separate night-time engagement on Pakistan's north-western frontier, the Islamabad's forces claimed that twenty-five to thirty militant and local insurgent fighters were "suspected" to have been eliminated.

The clashes have prompted calls for reduced tensions from other countries including Beijing and Russia, as well as a suggestion from US President Donald Trump that he could step in to broker peace.

On that day, a UN official, UN special rapporteur on the conditions of civil liberties in Afghanistan, wrote on X that he was "deeply concerned" by reports of non-combatant deaths and displacement because of the fighting.

"I call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, safeguard non-combatants, and follow global regulations," he stated.

Historical Tensions

Pakistan has for years alleged the Afghan Taliban of allowing the Pakistan Taliban to operate from their land and battle against the Pakistani administration in an effort to enforce a strict Islamic-led system of governance.

The Taliban leadership has consistently denied this.