Islamabad, April 27, (dpa/GNA) — Cross-border fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan has left casualties on both sides, marking a renewed escalation despite a recent truce.
In Afghanistan, at least four people were killed and 70 others including children, wounded on Monday in Pakistani missile strikes in Kunar province, a local official told TOLOnews.
On the Pakistani side, at least three civilians were reported injured in gunfire. A spokesman for Pakistan’s border forces described the incident in South Waziristan, as the most serious clash since a ceasefire was declared more than a month ago.
According to TOLOnews sources, Pakistani forces shot and killed a child on Sunday near the Friendship Gate on Afghanistan–Pakistan border, near Afghan border city of Spin Boldak.
Taliban forces subsequently engaged Pakistani troops in Spin Boldak, in what appeared to trigger the latest round of fighting.
Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have flared repeatedly over the past year, with clashes occurring both along the border and in urban areas. In February, Pakistan said it was in a state of open war with Afghanistan.
Diplomatic efforts to ease tensions have involved China, with recent talks in Urumqi described by both sides as constructive and focused on a broader settlement. Mediation efforts have also included Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.
Pakistan and Afghanistan had agreed to a brief ceasefire at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of backing the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a claim Kabul denies.
A United Nations report said, Pakistan has not provided evidence that Taliban authorities directed TTP attacks.
GNA