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New fighting erupted along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border early on Wednesday morning, with each side blaming the opposing side of initiating deadly confrontations.

The Pakistani military stated that its forces had killed "15-20 Taliban fighters" and injured many in the Spin Boldak border district.

A Afghan authorities spokesman said that 12 non-combatants had been killed and over a hundred injured by Pakistani firing. He further stated that numerous military personnel had been killed. None of the reported fatalities could be verified by third parties.

Violence between the neighbouring countries has flared since blasts shook Afghanistan last week, which Kabul attributed on Islamabad. The Afghan leadership reject allegations that it is harboring armed groups targeting Pakistan.

Social Media and Armed Confrontations

The two sides are not only fighting for the upper hand on the border, but also on social media, attempting to convince the general population that their faction is causing greater losses.

The most recent clashes follow severe border hostilities over the weekend, when the Afghan forces claimed to have eliminated 58 members of the Pakistani military and Islamabad reported it killed two hundred "Taliban and affiliated insurgents". The claimed casualty figures announced by both parties could not be independently verified.

Several days of fragile peace that had lasted since the weekend were shattered on Wednesday morning.

Local Accounts and Impact

Videos purportedly of the fighting and its aftermath have been circulated online and on messaging groups, including images said to be of those deceased and grainy shots from low-light cameras claiming to be of check posts destroyed. These recordings have not been verified.

A informant in Spin Boldak in Afghanistan reported that fighting erupted 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 "very heavy clashes continued for almost five hours".

"We observed drones and jets soaring over us, a number of our family members are injured," they added.

A doctor in one of the hospitals in Spin Boldak stated that he counted "seven bodies and thirty-six injured brought to the hospital", including men, women and children.

The circumstances were "strained" and additional casualties were being transferred to medical care, he said.

Evacuations and Global Responses

A regional authority figure in the area announced that "hundreds of households have been forced to flee since last night due to the heavy clashes". He mentioned they were on "high alert" after a few military positions were targeted by Pakistani jets. He further indicated that they had the remains of 2 armed forces members.

In a separate overnight clash on the western frontier, the Islamabad's forces claimed that 25 to 30 Taliban and Pakistani Taliban fighters were "suspected" to have been killed.

The clashes have prompted calls for reduced tensions from foreign nations including Beijing and Russia, as well as a suggestion from the American leader that he could step in to facilitate a ceasefire.

On Wednesday, a UN official, UN special rapporteur on the situation of civil liberties in Afghanistan, wrote on a social media platform that he was "very worried" by reports of civilian casualties and displacement because of the clashes.

"I call on all parties to practice the utmost caution, protect non-combatants, and follow global regulations," he stated.

Historical Disputes

Islamabad has for years accused the Taliban authorities of permitting the Pakistani militants to operate from their land and battle against the Islamabad government in an attempt to enforce a strict religion-based system of rule.

The Taliban leadership has consistently denied these allegations.