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New fighting broke out along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border early on Wednesday morning, with each side blaming the opposing side of starting lethal confrontations.

Pakistan's military stated that its troops had killed "15-20 Afghan Taliban" and wounded many in the Spin Boldak district frontier area.

A Taliban government representative claimed that twelve Afghan civilians had been killed and more than 100 injured by Pakistani firing. He further stated that several Pakistani soldiers had been lost their lives. None of the alleged fatalities could be verified by third parties.

Violence between the neighbors has escalated since explosions rocked Afghanistan last week, which Kabul blamed on Pakistan. The Afghan leadership reject claims that it is sheltering armed groups aiming at Pakistan.

Online Platforms and Military Engagements

The opposing forces are not only battling for the upper hand on the frontier, but also on social media, trying to persuade the general population that their side is inflicting greater losses.

The most recent fighting come after severe border hostilities over the past few days, when the Taliban asserted to have killed fifty-eight members of the Pakistani military and Pakistan reported it killed 200 "Taliban and linked insurgents". The reported death tolls 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 Reports and Impact

Videos purportedly of the conflict and its aftermath have been circulated on the internet and on messaging groups, including images said to be of those killed and grainy shots from night vision cameras claiming to be of check posts destroyed. These recordings have not been authenticated.

A source in Spin Boldak in Afghanistan stated that fighting broke out at around 4 a.m. local time (11:30 p.m. GMT on Tuesday). Another resident in Spin Boldak, who lives about a short distance away from the frontier post, said that "intense hostilities persisted for almost several hours".

"I see drones and fighter planes soaring over us, some of our relatives are wounded," they said.

A doctor in one of the medical facilities in the region stated that he counted "seven fatalities and 36 wounded transported to the medical center", including males, females and minors.

The circumstances were "tense" and additional casualties were being taken to medical care, he said.

Displacement and International Responses

A local authority figure in the area stated that "hundreds of families have been forced to flee since the previous evening due to the heavy clashes". He said they were on "high alert" after a few military positions were targeted by Pakistani jets. He added that they had the bodies of two Pakistani military members.

In a separate night-time clash on Pakistan's western border, the Pakistani military claimed that 25 to 30 Taliban and local insurgent fighters were "suspected" to have been killed.

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

On Wednesday, Richard Bennett, UN special rapporteur on the situation of civil liberties in Afghanistan, posted on a social media platform that he was "very worried" by reports of civilian casualties and evacuations because of the fighting.

"I call on everyone involved to exercise the utmost caution, protect non-combatants, and follow international law," he stated.

Historical Tensions

Islamabad has long alleged the Afghan Taliban of allowing the Pakistan Taliban to function from their territory and battle against the Islamabad government in an attempt to enforce a strict religion-based system of rule.

The Taliban leadership has consistently rejected these allegations.