Afghan Taliban forces opened fire on Sunday at a border crossing with Pakistan, killing six civilians, the Pakistani army said, which responded.
More than a dozen people were also injured by the "
unprovoked and indiscriminate firing
" near the town of Chaman in Pakistan's Balochistan province, the army added.
"
Pakistani Border Forces responded appropriately though measured against the unwarranted aggression, but avoided targeting innocent civilians in the area
," the statement said.
"
Pakistan has also approached the Afghan authorities in Kabul to stress the seriousness of the situation and requested strict measures to avoid any such incident in the future
."
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The clash took place when Afghan forces attempted to cut through part of the border fence, a senior provincial government official who requested anonymity told AFP.
A police spokesman for Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar confirmed that a clash had taken place at the border, without giving further details.
A Taliban member was killed and 10 people were injured, including three civilians, a spokesman for the provincial governor added.
“
A mortar shell landed and caused a huge ball of fire.
After that, I lost consciousness and I don't know what happened
,” testified Fida Muhammad, who was injured on the Pakistani side and taken to hospital.
Thousands of people cross the border between Spin Boldak, Afghanistan and Chaman, Pakistan every day, including traders, Afghans seeking medical care in Pakistan, and people visiting relatives.
Last month, a gunman shot and killed a Pakistani security guard at the Chaman crossing, closing it for a week.
Since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan last year, border tensions have escalated as Pakistan believes armed groups are plotting attacks against it from Afghan territory.
The Taliban deny hosting Pakistani insurgents, but are also furious that Islamabad is building a fence along their common border of some 2,700 km.