The Pakistani military said that “heavy fire and artillery fire from Afghan forces on the border in Pakistan on Sunday killed six civilians and wounded 17”.
“Pakistani forces returned fire through the Chaman border post in the southwestern province of Baluchistan,” the army said in a statement, without providing details of any casualties on the other side.
Noor Ahmed, an Afghan official in Kandahar across the border, told Reuters the incident was accidental and the situation had returned to normal after a meeting between the two sides.
Ahmed did not disclose further details of the Afghan side’s loss of life.
The Pakistani military described the incident as an “unprovoked attack” and said that “Pakistani forces responded appropriately by avoiding targeting civilians on the other side”.
Officials from both sides said the busy Afghan border crossing of Chaman, used for trade and people, was closed for a few hours before reopening. The crossing was completely closed for several days last month after similar clashes .
