One Killed in Border Clash Between Pakistan and Afghanistan - Reports

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been going through a rough patch following a surge in US drone movement in recent weeks. Kabul has accused Islamabad of allowing the US to breach its airspace, while Islamabad blames the Taliban* for the surge in terrorist activities near the border.

A major shootout with heavy weapons has erupted between the Pakistani border guard and the Taliban in the town of Spin Boldaka in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province, local media reported on Thursday.

A woman was reportedly killed on the Afghan side during the clashes that have continued since Wednesday night.

Mawlawi Mahmood, the Taliban chief of police for Spin Boldak district, blamed Pakistani troops for opening fire at the Afghanistan border post last night.

The tensions between the two countries soared in recent weeks over a range of issues, including accusations of patronizing terrorists on both sides.

Last week, the Taliban conveyed its concerns to Pakistan’s chargé d'affaires in Kabul over “contentious statements” issued in recent pasts from Islamabad, insisting that accusations could undermine bilateral relations.

Earlier, Senior Taliban leader and Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai threatened to “go to war with Pakistan” if Islamabad continued to accuse the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan of sheltering terrorists in the war-torn nation.

The statement came in response to one by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's General Assembly last month, where he said that terrorist groups based in Afghanistan continue to pose a threat to the global community.

*under UN sanctions for terrorist activities