Pakistan, Afghanistan border clashes kill 5, officials say

Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged heavy fire along their border late on Friday, officials from both countries said, killing at least five people amid heightened tensions following failed peace talks last weekend.

Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani forces launched attacks in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province.

His deputy Hamdullah Fitra told Reuters that shelling by Pakistan killed five people, including a Taliban member.

A spokesman for Pakistan's prime minister said Afghan forces carried out "unprovoked firing" along the Chaman border.

"Pakistan remains fully alert and committed to ensuring its territorial integrity and the safety of our citizens," spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi said in a statement.

The exchange came nearly a week after a new round of peace talks between the South Asian neighbours ended without a breakthrough, although both sides agreed to continue their fragile ceasefire.

The talks in Saudi Arabia last weekend were the latest in a series of meetings hosted by Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia to cool tensions following deadly border clashes in October.

At the heart of the dispute, Islamabad says Afghan-based militants have carried out recent attacks in Pakistan, including suicide bombings involving Afghan nationals. Kabul denied the charge, saying it could not be held responsible for security inside Pakistan.

Dozens were killed in October's clashes, the worst violence on the border since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021.