Kabul, April 27 (IANS) As many as six Pakistani soldiers have been killed in a clash between Afghanistan's border forces and Pakistani military personnel in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province, Afghan media reported on Monday.
The tensions escalated late Sunday night when Pakistani military forces reportedly shot and killed an Afghan child. The incident provoked an immediate response from the Afghan security forces.
"The clash occurred in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province, a key crossing point between the two countries. A source among Taliban ranks in Kandahar said six Pakistani soldiers were killed in the exchange, and one was captured. The body of another soldier was also recovered by Taliban forces, the source said," Amu TV reported.
Another news outlet, Ariana News, reported that Afghan forces have seized a number of light and heavy weapons during the clash amid heated tensions between Taliban and Pakistan that has led to border violence since late February.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Geo TV reported that two women were among three civilians injured after Afghan Taliban forces opened fire in South Waziristan, with security sources describing it as a "failed infiltration attempt by Fitna al-Khawarij militants".
Citing security sources, the report detailed that the incident occurred in the Zlol Khel area of Angoor Adda, where Afghan Taliban forces allegedly resorted to unprovoked firing after Pakistan Army foiled an infiltration attempt by militants seeking to enter from across the border.
Last week, a report highlighted that Pakistan's hardline stance against the Afghan Taliban appears to be aimed at countering the growing strategic alignment between Kabul and New Delhi, amid claims by the Pakistani Defence Minister that the Taliban has turned Afghanistan into an “Indian colony”.
"The armed conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan under Taliban rule has been ongoing since late February, with both sides exchanging threats; official casualty reports remain questionable and difficult to verify. The most recent escalation, marked by Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghan territory, effectively ended the fragile ceasefire reached through regional mediation in October 2025. This deterioration is seen as almost inevitable against the backdrop of the complex history of relations between the two Muslim neighbours, which has rapidly worsened over the last five years,” a report in 'The Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security' (JISS) detailed.
According to the report, the Taliban's return to power in 2021 initially raised hopes in Islamabad for a "strategic dividend" with expectations that Kabul would restrain the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). However, this did not materialise as TTP attacks surged, marking a deadly decade-high record of over 2,400 fatalities in 2025 among Pakistani security forces.
"The present round of fighting is the most significant escalation between the two countries since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, and it represents the culmination of persistent tensions that reignited after weeks of border friction. The collapse of mediation efforts and the shift toward ‘open warfare’ attest to the depth of the rift and the failure of diplomatic mechanisms to stabilise the shared border," it added.
Islamabad’s growing frustration, it said, reflects not only the rising death toll but also the realisation that its long-standing influence over the Taliban has been almost completely diminished.
--IANS
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