One killed, several wounded in Pak-Afghan border clashes

At least one Pakistani civilian was killed and several others were injured on Wednesday when Afghan Taliban forces fired mortars across the border in South Waziristan, local officials said. The clashes erupted overnight, with Afghan troops also firing artillery, some of whose rounds landed in populated areas such as a bazaar, according to Israr Ahmed, the Pakistani police chief in the region.

Several injured were taken to a regional hospital, some of whom were in critical condition, reported another police official, Mohamed Anwar.

Pakistani border troops responded to the firing, but it was unclear if any casualties occurred on the Afghan side. The fighting reportedly persisted into the early hours of the following day. The Afghan Defence Ministry claimed in a X statement that the aggression originated from the Pakistani side, stating that Afghan forces responded with shelling. Both countries' border troops frequently engage in fire exchanges and blame each other for initiating these clashes.

Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan persist due to security concerns. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan's Taliban authorities of supporting a militant group that has been responsible for numerous attacks inside Pakistan for many years.