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New fighting erupted along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border early on Wednesday, with each side blaming the other of initiating deadly confrontations.

Pakistan's military stated that its troops had eliminated "fifteen to twenty Afghan Taliban" and wounded many in the Spin Boldak frontier area.

A Afghan authorities representative claimed that 12 non-combatants had been killed and over a hundred wounded by Pakistani firing. He further stated that numerous military personnel had been lost their lives. None of the reported deaths could be independently confirmed.

Violence between the neighbouring countries has flared since blasts shook Afghanistan last week, which Kabul attributed on Islamabad. The Afghan leadership deny allegations that it is sheltering militants targeting Pakistan.

Online Platforms and Armed Engagements

The opposing forces are not only battling for the advantage on the border, but also on social media, trying to convince the public that their faction is causing more damage.

The latest fighting follow severe border hostilities over the weekend, when the Afghan forces claimed to have killed 58 members of the Islamabad's armed forces and Pakistan reported it neutralized two hundred "Taliban and linked insurgents". The reported casualty figures announced by both parties could not be independently verified.

A few days of fragile calm that had lasted since the recent days were broken on Wednesday.

Local Reports and Impact

Videos purportedly of the conflict and its aftermath have been circulated online and on social channels, including footage said to be of those deceased and grainy shots from low-light cameras claiming to be of check posts demolished. These videos have not been verified.

A informant in the border area in Afghanistan stated that fighting broke out at around 4 a.m. local time (11:30 p.m. GMT on Tuesday). Another local in the district, who lives about a short distance away from the frontier post, said that "very heavy hostilities persisted for almost five hours".

"We observed unmanned aircraft and jets flying over us, some of our family members are wounded," they said.

A doctor in one of the hospitals in Spin Boldak stated that he counted "seven fatalities and thirty-six wounded brought to the medical center", including men, females and minors.

The circumstances were "tense" and more casualties were being taken to hospital, he said.

Displacement and Global Reactions

A regional authority figure in Spin Boldak announced that "hundreds of households have been displaced since the previous evening due to the intense clashes". He said they were on "high alert" after a few military positions were targeted by Pakistani jets. He further indicated that they had the bodies of 2 armed forces members.

In a separate night-time engagement on Pakistan's western frontier, the Pakistani military claimed that 25 to 30 militant and local insurgent fighters were "suspected" to have been eliminated.

The hostilities have prompted calls for de-escalation from other countries including Beijing and Moscow, as well as a proposal from the American leader that he could step in to facilitate peace.

On Wednesday, Richard Bennett, UN special rapporteur on the conditions of civil liberties in Afghanistan, posted on a social media platform that he was "deeply concerned" by accounts of civilian casualties and evacuations because of the clashes.

"I urge all parties to exercise the utmost caution, safeguard non-combatants, and follow international law," he stated.

Historical Tensions

Pakistan has long accused the Afghan Taliban of allowing the Pakistani militants to operate from their territory and fight against the Islamabad government in an effort to impose a rigid Islamic-led system of rule.

The Taliban leadership has consistently denied these allegations.