‘Afghan civilians killed’ in renewed clashes with Pakistan forces

Afghan refugees gather beside lorries loaded with their belongings as they wait their turn to leave for their homeland through a border crossing point following the October19 ceasefire (H Achakzai/AP)

Four Afghan civilians were killed and five others wounded in an overnight clash between Pakistani and Afghan forces along their shared border, an Afghan official said, in a sign of rising tension between the two as they hold peace talks in Istanbul.

However, a tense calm largely prevailed along the Chaman border in southwest Pakistan, where the two sides briefly exchanged fire on Thursday night, with both sides blaming the other for the breach of last month’s ceasefire brokered by Qatar.