One civilian was killed and five other people were injured on Tuesday when firing from across the Afghan border struck houses and a market in Pakistan's South Waziristan region, according to a senior local official. The incident took place in the Angoor Adda area of Lower South Waziristan, near the frontier with Afghanistan. The area's deputy commissioner said on social media that Pakistani forces were responding strongly to what he described as unprovoked firing. Local reports said a mortar round hit a family home, causing the casualties.

Conflicting accounts

The two sides gave sharply different accounts of how the exchange began, and neither version could be independently verified. Afghanistan's defence ministry said Pakistan had carried out drone attacks on offices and security facilities in Paktika province on Tuesday, and said Afghan forces then retaliated against a nearby Pakistani base, leaving several soldiers killed or wounded. Pakistan's information ministry rejected that account as false, saying Afghan forces had fired first on unarmed civilians. Reuters reported that it could not verify the claims of either side.

A frontier under strain

Angoor Adda is an important crossing for trade and travel between the two countries, which makes any closure or fighting there felt well beyond the border villages. Relations have grown more strained in recent months, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of sheltering militants who launch cross-border attacks, a charge the Taliban government denies, saying militancy is Pakistan's internal problem. Reuters noted that the wider conflict has killed hundreds of people this year. The latest clash came only days after the Afghan Taliban said problems with Pakistan could be resolved through diplomacy, a reminder of how quickly talks and tension are running side by side.

Sources: Reuters and IANS / Khaama Press.