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Fresh hostilities erupted along the Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier early on Wednesday morning, with both parties blaming the other of starting deadly confrontations.

The Pakistani armed forces stated that its troops had eliminated "fifteen to twenty Afghan Taliban" and injured many in the Spin Boldak frontier area.

A Taliban government representative claimed that 12 Afghan civilians had been fatally struck and more than 100 wounded by artillery from Pakistan. He further stated that numerous military personnel had been lost their lives. None of the reported fatalities could be independently confirmed.

Violence between the neighbouring countries has flared since explosions rocked Afghanistan recently, which Kabul blamed on Pakistan. The Afghan leadership deny allegations that it is sheltering armed groups targeting Pakistan.

Social Media and Military Engagements

The two sides are not only fighting for the upper hand on the frontier, but also on social media, trying to convince the general population that their side is causing more damage.

The latest clashes come after severe border confrontations over the weekend, when the Taliban claimed to have eliminated 58 members of the Pakistani military and Islamabad said it neutralized two hundred "militants and affiliated insurgents". The reported death tolls provided by both parties could not be independently verified.

Several days of fragile calm that had lasted since the recent days were broken on Wednesday.

Local Reports and Impact

Videos purportedly of the fighting and its aftermath have been shared online and on messaging groups, including footage said to be of those deceased and grainy shots from low-light cameras purporting to be of check posts demolished. These videos have not been authenticated.

A source in the border area in Afghanistan reported that clashes broke out at around 4 a.m. local time (23:30 GMT on the previous day). Another local in Spin Boldak, who lives about a short distance away from the border crossing, reported that "very heavy clashes persisted for almost several hours".

"We observed drones and jets flying over us, a number of our relatives are injured," they added.

A doctor in one of the hospitals in Spin Boldak reported that he tallied "7 fatalities and 36 wounded transported to the medical center", including males, females and children.

The circumstances were "tense" and additional victims were being transferred to medical care, he noted.

Displacement and International Reactions

A regional Taliban official in the area stated that "hundreds of families have been displaced since the previous evening due to the heavy clashes". He said they were on "high alert" after a few Taliban posts were targeted by Pakistani jets. He further indicated that they had the bodies of 2 Pakistani military members.

In a separate night-time engagement on the western frontier, the Islamabad's forces said that twenty-five to thirty Taliban and local insurgent fighters were "believed" to have been eliminated.

The hostilities have led to calls for de-escalation from other countries including China and Russia, as well as a suggestion from US President Donald Trump that he could intervene to facilitate peace.

On Wednesday, a UN official, UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, wrote on X that he was "deeply concerned" by accounts of civilian casualties and evacuations because of the clashes.

"I call on all parties to practice the utmost caution, safeguard civilians, and follow international law," he wrote.

Long-Standing Disputes

Islamabad has for years accused the Afghan Taliban of allowing the Pakistani militants to operate from their territory and fight against the Islamabad government in an effort to enforce a strict Islamic-led system of rule.

The Taliban leadership has always denied these allegations.