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New hostilities erupted along the Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier early on Wednesday, with both parties blaming the opposing side of starting lethal clashes.

Pakistan's armed forces announced that its troops had killed "fifteen to twenty Taliban fighters" and wounded many in the Spin Boldak border district.

A Afghan authorities spokesman claimed that 12 Afghan civilians had been killed and over a hundred injured by artillery from Pakistan. He added that several military personnel had been lost their lives. Not one of the reported deaths could be independently confirmed.

Hostilities between the neighbors has escalated since explosions shook Afghanistan last week, which Kabul blamed on Islamabad. The Taliban reject allegations that it is harboring armed groups aiming at Pakistan.

Online Platforms and Armed Confrontations

The opposing forces are not only fighting for the upper hand on the frontier, but also on digital platforms, trying to persuade the public that their faction is inflicting greater losses.

The most recent clashes come after severe border confrontations over the weekend, when the Taliban claimed to have killed 58 members of the Pakistani military and Pakistan said it neutralized 200 "militants and affiliated terrorists". The reported casualty figures provided by both parties could not be confirmed by external sources.

Several days of fragile calm that had persisted since the weekend were shattered on Wednesday.

Local Reports and Impact

Footage allegedly of the fighting and its aftereffects have been shared on the internet and on social channels, including images claiming to be of those deceased and grainy shots from night vision cameras claiming to be of guard positions demolished. These recordings have not been authenticated.

A informant in Spin Boldak in Afghanistan reported that fighting erupted at around 4 a.m. local time (23:30 GMT on Tuesday). Another local in the district, who lives about a short distance away from the frontier post, said that "intense hostilities continued for almost several hours".

"We observed drones and fighter planes flying over us, a number of our relatives are injured," they added.

A doctor in one of the medical facilities in the region stated that he counted "seven fatalities and thirty-six injured transported to the medical center", including males, females and minors.

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

Displacement and International Reactions

A local authority figure in Spin Boldak stated that "hundreds of households have been displaced since last night due to the heavy clashes". He mentioned they were on "high alert" after a several military positions were attacked by aircraft from Pakistan. He added that they had the remains of two Pakistani military members.

In a distinct overnight engagement on the north-western border, the Islamabad's forces claimed that twenty-five to thirty militant and local insurgent fighters were "believed" to have been killed.

The hostilities have prompted calls for de-escalation from other countries including China and Moscow, as well as a suggestion from US President Donald Trump that he could intervene to facilitate a ceasefire.

On that day, Richard Bennett, UN special rapporteur on the conditions of civil liberties in Afghanistan, posted on a social media platform that he was "very worried" by reports of non-combatant deaths and evacuations because of the fighting.

"I urge everyone involved to practice the utmost caution, protect non-combatants, and abide by international law," he wrote.

Historical Tensions

Islamabad has long alleged the Taliban authorities of permitting the Pakistani militants to function from their territory and fight against the Islamabad government in an attempt to impose a rigid religion-based system of rule.

The Taliban leadership has always rejected this.