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New hostilities broke out along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border early on Wednesday, with each side accusing the other of starting lethal clashes.

The Pakistani military announced that its troops had eliminated "15-20 Taliban fighters" and injured many in the Spin Boldak district border district.

A Taliban government representative said that 12 Afghan civilians had been killed and more than 100 injured by artillery from Pakistan. He further stated that numerous Pakistani soldiers had been killed. None of the alleged fatalities could be verified by third parties.

Violence between the neighbouring countries has flared since blasts rocked Afghanistan last week, which the Afghan capital blamed on Islamabad. The Taliban reject allegations that it is sheltering militants aiming at Pakistan.

Online Platforms and Armed Confrontations

The two sides are not only battling for the advantage on the border, but also on social media, attempting to persuade the public that their side is causing greater losses.

The most recent fighting follow severe border hostilities over the past few days, when the Afghan forces claimed to have eliminated 58 members of the Islamabad's armed forces and Islamabad said it killed 200 "Taliban and affiliated insurgents". The reported casualty figures provided by each side could not be confirmed by external sources.

Several days of unstable calm that had lasted since the recent days were shattered on Wednesday morning.

On-the-Ground Reports and Consequences

Videos allegedly of the fighting and its aftermath have been shared online and on social channels, including images claiming to be of those deceased and blurry shots from night vision cameras claiming to be of check posts demolished. These recordings have not been verified.

A source in the border area in Afghanistan reported that clashes erupted at around 04:00 local time (23:30 GMT on Tuesday). Another resident in the district, who lives about a short distance away from the border crossing, reported that "very heavy hostilities continued for almost several hours".

"I see unmanned aircraft and jets soaring over us, a number of our relatives are injured," they added.

A doctor in one of the medical facilities in Spin Boldak stated that he tallied "seven fatalities and thirty-six injured transported to the medical center", including men, women and children.

The situation were "strained" and additional victims were being taken to hospital, he said.

Displacement and Global Responses

A local authority figure in the area stated that "hundreds of families have been displaced since last night due to the heavy fighting". He said they were on "high alert" after a few military positions were targeted by aircraft from Pakistan. He added that they had the bodies of 2 Pakistani military members.

In a separate night-time clash on the western border, the Islamabad's forces said that 25 to 30 Taliban and Pakistani Taliban fighters were "believed" to have been killed.

The hostilities have led to calls for de-escalation from other countries including China and Russia, as well as a proposal from the American leader that he could intervene to broker a ceasefire.

On Wednesday, Richard Bennett, UN special rapporteur on the conditions of human rights in Afghanistan, posted on X that he was "very worried" by reports of civilian casualties and evacuations because of the clashes.

"I call on everyone involved to exercise the utmost caution, protect civilians, and abide by global regulations," he stated.

Historical Tensions

Islamabad has long accused the Taliban authorities of permitting the Pakistan Taliban to function from their land and fight against the Pakistani administration in an effort to impose a strict religion-based system of governance.

The Afghan Taliban government has consistently rejected these allegations.