Six Pakistani soldiers were killed, one was captured while the body of one soldier was recovered by the Taliban forces in a fight that broke out overnight on Monday along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border in southern Afghanistan.According to the Afghan local media reports, Taliban forces and Pakistani troops clashed in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province.The confrontation began late at night after Pakistani forces allegedly opened fire across the border, killing a local child, local media reported, citing a source among Taliban ranks in Kandahar. The Taliban fighters then launched what the report described as retaliatory attacks.The latest clash comes amid renewed violence across the frontier, including reported rocket and mortar strikes by Pakistani forces into eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province earlier on Monday.Local news outlet, Ariana News, reported that at least four civilians were killed and 45 others injured in the attacks, with most of the wounded said to be women and children.Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities said four people were killed and up to 70 others injured in the strikes. About 30 students, women, and children were among those wounded in attacks that hit homes and Syed Jamaluddin Afghani University in Asadabad, Kunar province, Taliban deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said.“We strongly condemn these attacks by the Pakistani military regime, in which ordinary people, academic, and educational institutions were targeted, and declare them unforgivable war crimes,” he said in a post on X.Pakistan, however, rejected the allegations.The country’s information ministry said in a post on X that no strike had been carried out on the university. “The claims are frivolous and fake,” it said. The Pakistani military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Areas including Asadabad, the provincial capital, and the Yargul area were hit, with damage reported at Syed Jamaluddin Afghan University and Kunar University hostel.The violence marks a renewed spike in tensions despite recent diplomatic efforts. Delegations from both sides had met in Urumqi, China, earlier this month to address border security concerns, but the talks ended without a clear agreement. A brief ceasefire during the Eid holiday also failed to hold.
