Afghan-Pakistani Border Clash Kills 1, Wounds 16 in Kunar

Afghan and Pakistani forces exchanged heavy artillery fire along their shared border on Sunday, killing at least one civilian and wounding 16 others, mostly women and children, in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar province. The clashes, reported near the provincial capital of Asadabad and Pakistan's bordering Bajaur district, marked a rapid breakdown of a temporary truce declared earlier in the month.

Taliban deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat stated that Pakistani shelling struck rural areas and civilian residences around 5 p.m. local time, using mortars and other heavy weapons. "Once again, the militias of the Pakistani military regime conducted shelling on rural areas and civilian residences," Fitrat said in a social media post. Pakistani security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the incident as a limited response to Afghan-initiated shelling in the same sector, denying any targeting of civilians and calling Afghan casualty reports exaggerated. The Pakistani military has not issued a public statement on the matter.

This flare-up follows a month of intense hostilities that began in late February, when Pakistan announced it was engaging in open conflict with...