Afghan official says 4 civilians killed in border clash with Pakistan during peace talks

ANKARA, Turkey -- Four Afghan civilians were killed and 5 others wounded successful an overnight clash betwixt Pakistani and Afghan forces on their shared border, an Afghan authoritative said Friday, successful a motion of rising hostility betwixt the 2 arsenic they clasp peace talks successful Istanbul.

However, a tense calm mostly prevailed on the Chaman borderline successful southwest Pakistan, wherever the 2 sides concisely exchanged occurrence Thursday night, with some sides blaming the different for the breach of past month's ceasefire brokered by Qatar.

In Afghanistan, Ali Mohammad Haqmal, caput of the Information and Culture Department successful Spin Boldak, blamed Pakistan successful a connection for initiating the shooting but said Afghan forces did not respond owed to the bid talks successful Istanbul.

In Islamabad, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi connected Friday dismissed the Afghan claim, saying Afghanistan initiated the shooting.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said precocious Thursday connected X that “the shooting was initiated from the Afghan side, but the concern was brought nether control.” The ministry said a ceasefire brokered by Qatar connected Oct. 19 remained intact.

Andrabi said Pakistan’s nationalist information advisor Lt. Gen. Asim Malik is starring the Pakistani delegation successful the talks with Afghanistan. The Afghan broadside is being led by Abdul Haq Wasiq, manager of wide intelligence, according to Mujahid.

He said that Pakistan had handed implicit its demands to mediators “with a singular purpose to enactment an extremity to transverse borderline terrorism,” and that "mediators are discussing Pakistan’s demands with the Afghan Taliban delegation, constituent by point.”

For years, Pakistan has accused Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities of harboring Pakistani militants who transportation retired cross-border attacks, a complaint Kabul denies.

Tensions person remained precocious since past month, erstwhile deadly borderline clashes erupted, sidesplitting dozens — including soldiers, civilians and suspected militants — and wounding hundreds connected some sides. The warring began aft explosions successful Kabul connected Oct. 9 that the Taliban authorities blamed connected Pakistan and vowed to avenge.

The violence, the worst betwixt the neighbors successful caller years, subsided aft Qatar brokered a ceasefire.

Pakistan has seen a crisp emergence successful militant attacks successful caller months, astir claimed by the Pakistani Taliban — known arsenic Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, oregon TTP — a radical designated arsenic a violent enactment by the United Nations and the United States.

Though separate, the TTP is intimately allied with the Afghan Taliban. Many of its leaders and fighters are believed to person taken refuge successful Afghanistan since the Taliban’s instrumentality to powerfulness successful 2021, further straining ties betwixt the 2 countries.

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Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writer Abdul Qahar Afghan contributed to this communicative from Kabul, Afghanistan.