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Six civilians were killed when Afghan Taliban forces opened fire at a border crossing with Pakistan on Sunday, the Pakistani military said. More than a dozen people were wounded in “unprovoked random shooting” near the town of Chaman in Baluchistan province, the military added.
“Pakistan Border Force responded appropriately but cautiously to the unprovoked aggression but avoided targeting innocent civilians in the area,” the Pakistani statement said.
“Pakistan has also approached the Afghan authorities in Kabul to stress the seriousness of the situation and demand that stern action be taken to avoid recurrence of such incidents in the future.”
The clashes came after Afghan forces tried to cut part of the border fence, according to a senior provincial government official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
A Kandahar provincial police spokesman confirmed clashes at the border but gave no further details.
A Taliban member was killed and 10 others were wounded, including three civilians, the governor’s spokesman added.
Thousands of people cross the border between Spinboldak, Afghanistan, and Chaman, Pakistan, every day, including businessmen, Afghans seeking medical care in Pakistan, and people visiting relatives.
“A mortar shell landed and caused a huge fireball. After that I lost consciousness and didn’t know what happened,” said Faida Mohammad, who was injured on the Pakistani side of the intersection and taken to hospital.
Last month, a gunman killed a Pakistani security guard at the Chaman crossing, leading to the closure of the crossing for a week.
Border tensions between the neighbors have risen since the Taliban returned to power last year, with Pakistan accusing the militant group of planning attacks from Afghan soil.
The Taliban deny harboring Pakistani militants but are also angry at Islamabad’s construction of a fence along the 2,700-kilometre border between the two countries.
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