Islamabad, Dec 6 (NationPress) - Pakistani and Afghan military forces have been involved in intense gunfire along the border as tensions escalate. Local news sources reported that both nations are trading accusations over who initiated the conflict.

The most recent skirmish occurred late Friday, coinciding with Saudi Arabia's attempts to mediate a ceasefire between Kabul and Islamabad, which seemingly produced no favorable results.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the caretaker Afghan government, announced on social media that Pakistani forces conducted strikes in the Spin Boldak area of Kandahar province on Friday, leading to a response from Afghan troops.

"Unfortunately, this evening the Pakistani side once again launched attacks towards Afghanistan in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar, prompting the Islamic Emirate forces to respond," Mujahid posted on X.

As reported by a senior source in Quetta, who chose to remain anonymous, the gunfire exchange began around 10 p.m. Friday and persisted late into the night.

The medical superintendent of Chaman district hospital in Pakistan, Muhammad Owais, stated that three individuals, including one woman, were treated for injuries.

Previously, negotiation teams from both nations tried to resolve the issue with mediation from Turkey and Qatar but did not find common ground for a long-term ceasefire.

The border between the two countries has been unstable, experiencing heavy fighting for over a month, with Islamabad reportedly conducting multiple airstrikes within Afghanistan's territory.

Last week, the Taliban government condemned the Pakistani air operations in the Afghan provinces of Paktika, Khost, and Kunar, calling them a violation of Afghan sovereignty and international standards.

The Afghan administration claimed that at least 10 civilians, including nine children, lost their lives due to Pakistani strikes on a residential area in Khost, while separate air raids in Kunar and Paktika injured four others.

Following these attacks, Mujahid emphasized on social media that a necessary response would be forthcoming at an appropriate time.

"The airstrikes carried out last night by Pakistani forces in Afghanistan's Paktika, Khost, and Kunar provinces constitute a direct assault on Afghanistan's sovereignty and a clear breach of internationally recognised norms and principles by the Pakistani authorities," Mujahid posted on X.

"These hostile actions by Pakistani forces achieve nothing; they only prove that operations driven by flawed intelligence inflame tensions and expose the ongoing failures of Pakistan's military regime," he added.