Afghanistan and Pakistan have traded heavy fire, both sides said, days after they announced a temporary pause in fighting, escalating tensions in the volatile region as Islamabad prepares to host talks between the U.S. and Iran.
The border clashes came on Sunday, the day Pakistan hosted regional powers to discuss de-escalation in the war in the Middle East, with an announcement that Islamabad could host the talks in coming days.
Both sides used artillery and heavy weapons to hit locations in Afghanistan's Kunar province and its bordering district of Bajur in Pakistan, officials said.
Pakistan's fire killed at least one person and injured another 16, most of them women and children, said Hamdullah Fitrat, a deputy spokesperson for Kabul's Taliban administration.
Pakistan only responded to heavy shelling from Afghanistan, security officials said, denying that it targeted any civilian locations. The officials declined to be identified as they were not authorised to speak to media.
The Pakistani military did not respond to a request for a comment.
Pakistan and Afghanistan's worst fighting in years erupted last month, claiming heavy human losses on both sides.
Kabul said more than 400 people were killed in a Pakistani air strike on a drug rehabilitation centre in the Afghan capital this month before the neighbours suspended fighting.
Pakistan rejected the Taliban's statements about the strike, saying it had "precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure".
A pause in hostilities was announced for the Islamic festival of Eid al-Fitr, and also requested by Türkiye, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which Islamabad ended last week.
Kabul has not yet announced officially whether the ceasefire was still holding form their side.
Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of harbouring and supporting Islamist militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul denies it, saying the militancy is Pakistan's domestic problem.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has promised to avenge the killing of his father, while U.S. President Donald Trump said Tehran and Washingto...
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr Albusaidi have discussed arrangements to ensure the safe passage of shi...
The U.S. Department of Justice has ordered several New York Times journalists to testify before a federal grand jury. ...
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr Albusaidi have discussed arrangements to ensure the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. Department of Justice has ordered several New York Times journalists to testify before a federal grand jury.
At least 44 people have died and more than one million have been stranded due to widespread flooding and landslides across southeastern Bangladesh, authorities said on Saturday (11 July).
More than 100 countries now spend more on servicing debt than on education, UNESCO has warned, as it called on governments and international lenders to expand the use of debt-for-education swaps.
At least 12 people have been killed in forest fires in Almeria in southern Spain, Andalucía’s emergency agency has said, as firefighters continue efforts to put out the blaze.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington has agreed to resume talks with Iran after Tehran requested further negotiations, but declared that last month's ceasefire between the two countries was "over".
Dozens of flights have been cancelled across East Asia as Super Typhoon Bavi approaches China. The typhoon, which has maximum sustained winds of 162 kph (100mph), is nearing a remote chain of Japanese islands, east of Taiwan on Friday.
What began as a fan-created chant just months ago has become one of the defining images of this year's FIFA World Cup, with Norway's "Viking Row" sweeping through stadiums, city streets and social media.
British police have arrested a 26-year-old man on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe, a former government minister whose death was announced on Friday.
This is the last of four articles in AnewZ's series examining how conservationists are working to protect and repair damage done to the Aral Sea which lies between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
At least 44 people have died and more than one million have been stranded due to widespread flooding and landslides across southeastern Bangladesh, authorities said on Saturday (11 July).
Turkish prosecutors have ordered the detention of 36 people, including the mayor of an Ankara district controlled by the main opposition, over alleged bribery and tender-rigging.
Temperatures above 40°C are scorching parts of Central Asia, prompting the World Health Organization to warn that extreme heat is becoming an increasing public health threat across the region.
This is the third of four articles in AnewZ's series examining how conservationists are working to protect and repair damage done to the Aral Sea which lies between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment