In the early hours of December 6, 2025, a sudden burst of gunfire shattered the quiet at the Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing, the busy gateway linking Pakistan and Afghanistan. The overnight clash left four civilians dead and four more wounded, underlining the fragility of a truce meant to keep this trade artery open.
Abdul Karim Jahad, governor of Spin Boldak district in southern Afghanistan, told AFP that three lightly injured people were treated and discharged at a hospital in the Pakistani border town of Chaman. Still, the human toll on both sides of this dusty frontier is mounting.
The skirmish marks the latest flare-up since October 2025, when fierce fighting killed more than 70 people and injured hundreds before a ceasefire was brokered by Qatar and TĂźrkiye. Despite subsequent talks in Doha and Istanbul, lasting peace has remained elusive.
âUnfortunately, tonight, the Pakistani side started attacking Afghanistan in Kandahar, Spin Boldak district, and the forces of the Islamic Emirate were forced to respond,â Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid posted on X late Friday.
Pakistanâs prime ministerâs spokesperson, Mosharraf Zaidi, fired back on X: âA short while ago, the Afghan Taliban regime resorted to unprovoked firing along the border. An immediate, befitting and intense response has been given by our armed forces.â
Local residents reported hearing the exchange of fire around 10:30 pm local time, a barrage that lasted nearly two hours. Ali Mohammed Haqmal, head of Kandaharâs information department, said Pakistani forces used both light and heavy artillery, and mortar rounds hit civilian homes on the Afghan side.
The root of the dispute stretches back to 2021, when the Islamic Emirate took control of Kabul. Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which have launched deadly raids across the borderâa charge flatly denied by Kabul.
Tensions spiked again in late November, when Kabul blamed Pakistan for an air strike that killed 10 people, including nine children. Pakistan rejected the accusation and warned on November 28 that the ceasefire was ânot holdingâ amid âmajorâ attacks on its soil.
In a tentative step forward, Pakistan announced plans this week to partially reopen the Chaman crossing for UN aid deliveries. Zaidi emphasized that âaid deliveries are separateâ from security issues and would proceed despite the recent violence.
For the traders, travelers, and families whose lives depend on this border route, the repeated clashes are more than headlinesâtheyâre a daily reminder that peace can be as elusive as the desert winds that sweep this frontier.
Reference(s):
Afghan official says 4 civilians killed in border clash with Pakistan
cgtn.com
