Pakistan says 8 Afghan troops killed in latest border crash

Pakistan has announced that at least eight Afghan troops were killed in the latest border skirmishes between the two countries.

According to sources, Pakistani troops "befittingly" responded to alleged shelling and firing by Afghan border guards, which resulted in casualties, News.Az reports citing foreign media.

Pakistani sources claimed that eight Afghan troops, including two "commanders", were killed in fresh round of clashes that began when Taliban forces attempted to construct a security outpost along a porous border, which has long been a bone of contention between the two neighbors.

A spokesman for Afghanistan's Information Ministry told Anadolu that he has no information about the clashes.

"I can tell you only after gathering the exact information about that," he added.

There was no official statement from Pakistan Army's media wing either.

The latest ongoing flareup between the southeastern Afghan border province of Khost and the adjoining Pakistani district of Kurram have reportedly claimed several lives from both sides.

Pakistan and Afghanistan share 18 crossing points along a 2,640-kilometer (1,640-mile) long border.

News.Az