Spin Boldak: Dozens of troops and civilians were killed on Wednesday as border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan intensified for a second consecutive week, officials from both sides confirmed. The violence follows a string of explosions in Afghanistan last week, including two in Kabul, which Islamabad has blamed on Afghanistan.

In response, the Taliban government in Kabul launched an offensive along stretches of the southern border, prompting Pakistan to threaten a strong military retaliation. Islamabad accuses the Taliban of sheltering Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants on Afghan soil—an allegation Kabul denies.

The Pakistan military said Afghan Taliban fighters attacked two key border posts in the southwest and northwest, but both assaults were repelled. Around 20 Taliban fighters were killed near Spin Boldak in southern Kandahar province early Wednesday, and an estimated 30 more died in overnight clashes along the northwest border. The military condemned the attacks as “orchestrated through divided villages without regard for civilians.”

Afghan officials reported a different toll, claiming 15 civilians were killed and dozens wounded by Pakistani mortar fire, along with “two to three” Taliban fighters. Zabihullah Mujahid, Kabul’s spokesperson, accused Pakistan of firing “light and heavy weapons,” saying 100 civilians were injured before calm was restored after Taliban fighters allegedly seized Pakistani posts. Pakistan dismissed these claims as “outrageous and blatant lies.”

Though Islamabad withheld updated casualty figures, it earlier confirmed 23 soldiers killed in the initial clashes last week. Residents on both sides of the border described the fighting as chaotic and terrifying. In Spin Boldak, local witness Sadiq said homes were hit, killing his cousin’s wife and son. In Chaman, across the border, residents reported panic as explosions erupted before dawn.

Separately, a checkpoint attack in Peshawar, in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killed seven frontier troops. The newly formed Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the assault.

Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told parliament last week that repeated efforts to persuade the Afghan Taliban to cease support for the TTP had failed. Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, the TTP has carried out hundreds of deadly attacks on Pakistani forces.

The renewed border conflict erupted after Kabul accused Islamabad of conducting air strikes on Afghan territory, prompting retaliatory operations in at least five border provinces from Saturday onward. Pakistan vowed a forceful response, as both nations now face one of their most serious escalations since 2021.

With inputs from AFP