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Fresh fighting erupted along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border early on Wednesday morning, with both parties accusing the opposing side of starting lethal clashes.

Pakistan's armed forces announced that its troops had eliminated "fifteen to twenty Taliban fighters" and wounded numerous others in the Spin Boldak frontier area.

A Afghan authorities representative said that twelve non-combatants had been fatally struck and over a hundred wounded by artillery from Pakistan. He further stated that numerous military personnel had been killed. Not one of the reported fatalities could be verified by third parties.

Violence between the neighbouring countries has escalated since blasts rocked Afghanistan last week, which Kabul blamed on Pakistan. The Afghan leadership reject claims that it is harboring militants aiming at Pakistan.

Social Media and Armed Confrontations

The two sides are not only fighting for the upper hand on the frontier, but also on social media, attempting to persuade the general population that their side is inflicting greater losses.

The latest clashes come after severe cross-border hostilities over the past few days, when the Afghan forces asserted to have killed 58 members of the Islamabad's armed forces and Islamabad reported it neutralized 200 "militants and linked terrorists". The claimed casualty figures announced by both parties could not be independently verified.

A few days of fragile peace that had persisted since the recent days were shattered on Wednesday morning.

Local Reports and Impact

Footage purportedly of the conflict and its aftereffects have been circulated online and on social channels, including images said to be of those killed and blurry shots from low-light cameras purporting to be of guard positions destroyed. These videos have not been verified.

A source in the border area in Afghanistan reported that clashes broke out at around 4 a.m. local time (23:30 GMT on Tuesday). Another resident in the district, who lives about a short distance away from the frontier post, reported that "intense hostilities continued for almost five hours".

"I see drones and jets soaring over us, some of our family members are injured," they said.

A doctor in one of the medical facilities in Spin Boldak reported that he tallied "7 fatalities and thirty-six injured brought to the medical center", including men, females and children.

The situation were "tense" and more victims were being transferred to hospital, he said.

Evacuations and International Responses

A local Taliban official in the area announced that "numerous of families have been displaced since the previous evening due to the intense fighting". He mentioned they were on "maximum readiness" after a several Taliban posts were targeted by aircraft from Pakistan. He further indicated that they had the bodies of 2 armed forces members.

In a distinct overnight clash on Pakistan's north-western frontier, the Pakistani military said that 25 to 30 Taliban and local insurgent fighters were "believed" to have been eliminated.

The clashes have led to appeals for de-escalation from other countries including China and Moscow, as well as a proposal from US President Donald Trump that he could step in to facilitate a ceasefire.

On that day, a UN official, UN special rapporteur on the conditions of human rights in Afghanistan, wrote on a social media platform that he was "deeply concerned" by reports of non-combatant deaths and displacement because of the clashes.

"I call on everyone involved to practice maximum restraint, protect civilians, and follow international law," he stated.

Historical Disputes

Islamabad has for years accused the Taliban authorities of permitting the Pakistani militants to function from their territory and battle against the Pakistani administration in an attempt to enforce a strict Islamic-led system of rule.

The Afghan Taliban government has consistently rejected this.