In a major escalation of tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, on Sunday, rocket fire from the Afghanistan Taliban forces at a border crossing with Pakistan led to the death of six civilians while another two dozen were reportedly injured.
The firing near the town of Chaman in Balochistan province, as per the Pakistani military resulted in the death of six civilians. Additionally, more than a dozen were wounded by the “unprovoked and indiscriminate fire” said the statement.
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Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a statement on Twitter demanded that “the Afghan Interim government should ensure that such incidents are not repeated.”
Confirming the incident, the Pakistani military reported that they have taken a “befitting albeit measured response against the uncalled for aggression” adding that they have avoided “targeting innocent civilians in the area.”
“Pakistan has also approached Afghan authorities at Kabul to highlight (the) severity of the situation and demanded strict action to obviate any such recurrence of the incident in future.”
Reportedly the clash happened after Afghan Taliban forces tried to cut a part of the border fence said a senior provincial official while speaking with AFP.
Afghani security sources said that the clash started after Pakistan forces demanded that Afghan forces stop building a check post on their side of the border.
However, an Afghan official Noor Ahmad as per Reuters claimed that the incident was accidental and the situation is normal following talks between the two sides.
The Pakistan-Afghanistan border Chaman as per an IANS report has been closed following the incident. In November it was closed for eight days and was only opened on November 21.
Since the Taliban took over the nation in August 2021, border tensions between Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan have risen.
Islamabad alleges that the Taliban is harbouring members of the Pakistani militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who are planning an attack from the Afghan side. However, the Taliban has denied these claims.
Reportedly there has been a 51 per cent increase in attacks on Pakistan, and on November 28, the group ended a ceasefire with Pakistan and resumed attacks on the country.
(With inputs from agencies)
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