The conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan is increasing. A Pakistani paramilitary force soldier was killed and seven others were injured in firing on the border with Afghanistan. A source has given this information. At the same time, hundreds of Afghans have demonstrated against Pakistani air strikes. Officials from both countries said fighting with heavy weapons broke out overnight between security forces on the border between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan and Khost province in Afghanistan.

The shooting came after Taliban officials accused Pakistan of killing 46 people in air strikes in Afghanistan’s southeastern province of Paktika this week. Most of those killed in air strikes were women and children. Regarding these attacks, a senior Pakistani security source said that they targeted “terrorist hideouts”, although Islamabad has not officially confirmed the bombing.

Clashes broke out at two places in Kurram

“One Frontier Corps soldier is reported dead and seven others injured,” a source at the border told AFP. He said that clashes took place at at least two places in Kurram, a border district of Pakistan.

The Afghan Defense Ministry said on Twitter that several points across the border with Pakistan from where “attacks were conducted into Afghanistan… were targeted in retaliation”.

Local people forced to flee

An official in Khost told AFP that the clashes had forced locals to flee border areas, but there were no reports of casualties among Afghan forces.

Hundreds of Afghans demonstrated against Pakistan on Saturday in the provincial capital Khost city and demanded accountability for the deaths of civilians. Protester Najibullah Jaland said that he has demanded global economic pressure on Pakistan to stop such incidents.

Pakistani army should be held responsible: protesters

“We have gathered to raise our voices to the world,” he told AFP. He said that a path to peace should be found, otherwise the youth will not remain silent.

Some protesters praised the Afghan forces and said that our fighters gave them a strong response and we stand with our army. Rashidullah Hamdard, a protester, said, “We demand the world to hold the Pakistani army responsible for these brutal and senseless attacks.”