Border Tensions Flare: Pakistani and Afghan Forces Exchange Fire Near Chaman — No Casualties

Pakistani and Afghan Forces Exchange Fire Along Tense Border

Late on Friday, Pakistani troops and Afghan forces exchanged gunfire near the Chaman border crossing along the two countries' tense frontier. Officials on both sides reported no casualties or damage, and each accused the other of violating a fragile ceasefire that has largely held since October.

What happened: The brief exchange occurred a day after Pakistan said it would allow the United Nations to deliver relief supplies into Afghanistan through the Chaman and Torkham crossings, which had been largely closed for nearly two months amid rising tensions.

Local Pakistani police official Mohammad Sadiq said the firing began from the Afghan side and that Pakistani troops returned fire close to the Chaman crossing, a major transit route. From Kabul, Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman for Afghanistan's Taliban-led administration, posted on X that Pakistani forces "once again launched attacks on Afghanistan in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar, forcing the forces of the Islamic Emirate to respond."

Abidullah Farooqi, a spokesman for the Afghan border police, said Pakistani forces first tossed a hand grenade into the Spin Boldak border area on Afghan soil, prompting a response. He reiterated Afghanistan's stated commitment to the ceasefire.

Mosharraf Zaidi, a spokesman for Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, wrote on X that "the Afghan Taliban regime resorted to unprovoked firing along the Chaman border" and added that Pakistani forces remained fully alert to protect territorial integrity and citizens' safety.

Context

Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul rose sharply after deadly clashes in October killed dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants and wounded hundreds. Those clashes followed explosions in Kabul on Oct. 9, which the Taliban government blamed on Pakistan. A Qatar-brokered ceasefire in October eased the immediate violence, but follow-up diplomatic talks—brokered in part to sustain the truce—collapsed in November.

Pakistan has repeatedly blamed many militant attacks inside its borders on the Pakistani Taliban (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP). While organizationally separate from the Afghan Taliban, the TTP is closely allied and many fighters are believed to have sheltered in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, a persistent source of bilateral strain.

Why it matters: The incident underscores how fragile the Qatar-mediated truce remains and highlights the risks such skirmishes pose to cross-border aid deliveries and regional stability. Continued diplomatic engagement and monitoring of crossings such as Chaman and Torkham will be critical to preventing escalation and ensuring humanitarian access.

Reporting contributed by Associated Press staff in Jalalabad and Quetta.