KABUL — Border clashes have erupted again between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban forces, with each side accusing the other of violating a fragile ceasefire along the 1,600-mile (2,600 km) frontier.

Residents fled the Afghan border city of Spin Boldak overnight as exchanges of fire intensified.

A medical worker in Kandahar told BBC Pashto that four bodies were brought to a local hospital, with four others wounded.

Three additional people were reportedly injured in Pakistan.

Both sides confirmed they exchanged fire for about four hours but blamed each other for initiating the violence.

Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accused the Taliban of “unprovoked firing” and said Pakistan’s forces delivered an “immediate, befitting & intense response,” adding the country remains alert to protect its territory and citizens.

A Taliban spokesperson said Pakistan had “once again initiated attacks” and that Taliban forces were “forced to respond.” Residents said shelling began around 22:30 (18:00 GMT) on Friday, prompting mass evacuations. Footage showed Afghans fleeing on foot and in vehicles.

Ali Mohammed Haqmal, head of Kandahar’s information department, said Pakistani forces used “light and heavy artillery” and that civilian homes were struck by mortar fire.

The clashes come less than two months after Qatar and Turkey mediated a ceasefire to end more than a week of fighting that killed dozens — the deadliest confrontation between Pakistan and the Taliban since 2021. Tensions, however, have persisted.

Islamabad has long accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of sheltering armed groups responsible for attacks in Pakistan. The Taliban deny the charge and say Pakistan is blaming others for its “own security failures.”

The Pakistan Taliban have carried out at least 600 attacks on Pakistani forces over the past year, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. — BBC