UN refugee chief calls for calm amid clashes on Pakistan-Afghanistan border

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on Sunday called for a swift de-escalation of tensions following reports of clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

“Nothing good can come from fresh tensions and clashes along the Afghan/Pakistani border – a fragile frontier, theatre of conflict, forced displacement and humanitarian crises for decades," he said on US-based social media company X.

"For the sake of those impacted and of regional stability, let’s hope for rapid de-escalation,” he said.

- Latest escalation

Dozens of soldiers were killed in overnight clashes between Pakistani and Afghan troops, the two sides confirmed on Sunday.

The latest escalation came a day after Afghanistan’s interim Taliban administration accused the Pakistani army of violating airspace over Kabul and bombing a market in the Margha region of the Paktika province bordering Pakistan on Thursday night.

Islamabad neither confirmed nor denied it was behind the attacks but said it will do everything to protect its citizens, as Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorism, which it blames on the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP).

Pakistan claims the TTP militants are based in Afghanistan and accuses Kabul of failing to prevent terrorists belonging to the TTP, a conglomerate of several militant groups, from carrying out attacks in Pakistan.

Afghanistan, however, denies the charges, reaffirming its commitment not to allow its soil to be used for attacks on its neighbor.