At least 15 Afghan civilians and six Pakistani paramilitary soldiers were killed in fresh clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on Tuesday night, according to reports from security officials and news agencies on Wednesday. The violence erupted amid ongoing tensions between the two countries, with both sides blaming each other for the escalation.

Reuters reported that six Pakistani paramilitary soldiers died during a clash with militants near the border. Meanwhile, Afghan officials told AFP that 15 civilians were killed and dozens more injured in the violence along the border area.

Pakistan’s military said its forces responded to cross-border firing by Afghan troops and local militants on Tuesday night. State-run Pakistan Television (PTV) quoted unnamed security sources, saying the Pakistan army retaliated with full force in the northwestern Kurram region, killing many Taliban fighters and destroying their forward posts and a tank. PTV also reported that a key leader of the Pakistani Taliban, an offshoot of the Afghan Taliban, was killed in the retaliatory strikes.

On the other side, the Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that Afghan forces killed many invading Pakistani soldiers, seized weapons, tanks, and captured Pakistani posts. He posted this claim on social media platform X.

This fresh bout of violence follows clashes last weekend when Afghanistan launched revenge strikes on Pakistan, accusing it of being behind a deadly attack in Kabul on October 7. Afghanistan claimed it killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in the strikes, while Pakistan said 23 of its soldiers died and that its forces killed over 200 Taliban and allied militants in counterattacks.

Following the weekend clashes, border crossings between the two countries were closed on October 12. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promised a strong response, while the Taliban warned that it had other means to handle the situation if Pakistan refused to engage in dialogue. The fighting only paused after diplomatic intervention by Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Ali Mohammad Haqmal, a spokesperson from Spin Boldak’s local information department, told AFP that 15 civilians had died from mortar fire in the latest clashes. Abdul Jan Barak, an official at the Spin Boldak district hospital, confirmed the toll and said over 80 women and children had been injured.

The violence underscores the fragile security situation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where tensions continue to simmer despite efforts at diplomacy.