Border clashes have reignited between Pakistani forces and Afghanistan’s Taliban, with each side accusing the other of violating a fragile ceasefire. Residents fled the Afghan border city of Spin Boldak overnight as violence escalated. Medical workers in Kandahar reported four deaths and several injuries, while Pakistan also confirmed casualties. Both governments acknowledged exchanging fire but blamed the other for initiating the four-hour confrontation.
Pakistan’s spokesperson Mosharraf Zaidi condemned what he called “unprovoked firing,” while Taliban officials insisted Pakistan launched the attacks first. The clashes come less than two months after a Qatar- and Turkey-mediated ceasefire that ended a deadly week of fighting. Islamabad continues to accuse the Afghan Taliban of sheltering militants behind attacks in Pakistan, an allegation the Taliban denies.
A Pakistani soldier stands guard after an attack on the Cadet College Wana in Pakistan’s South Waziristan district near the Afghanistan border, on November 13, 2025 [File: Aamir Qureshi/AFP]