Spin Boldak, Kandahar, Afghanistan – December 6, 2025 – An overnight exchange of fire between Afghan and Pakistani forces along the tense Afghanistan-Pakistan border killed five Afghan civilians and wounded five others, while three civilians were injured on the Pakistani side, officials reported Saturday.

Each country has blamed the other for triggering the clash, which violated a two-month ceasefire brokered by Qatar.

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Civilian Toll

The Afghan casualties included three children and one woman, said Ali Mohammad Haqmal, head of information for Spin Boldak District. Pakistani officials confirmed that three civilians, including a woman, were wounded on their side during the shooting and shelling that lasted until dawn Saturday.

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Background and Context

Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been high since October 2025, when deadly border clashes killed dozens of soldiers, civilians, and suspected militants. Violence erupted after explosions in Kabul on October 9, which the Taliban blamed on Pakistan.

Although a ceasefire has largely held, peace talks have not produced a lasting agreement. Both countries accuse each other of cross-border attacks.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), closely allied with the Afghan Taliban, has been implicated in multiple militant attacks in Pakistan, further straining relations.

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Details of the Clash

• Afghan officials said Pakistani forces threw a hand grenade into Spin Boldak, prompting a response from Afghan forces. Afghan firing reportedly lasted about an hour.
• Pakistani authorities claimed the fighting began from the Afghan side near the Chaman border crossing, a key transit point.

Abidullah Farooqi, Afghan border police spokesman, emphasized that Afghanistan remains committed to the ceasefire. Pakistani officials, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi, accused the Afghan Taliban regime of unprovoked firing.

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Related Security Operations

Separately, Pakistan’s military reported killing nine Pakistani Taliban militants during two intelligence-based operations in Tank and Lakki Marwat districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.