Pakistan claimed its military forces killed at least 13 members of the Afghan Taliban during overnight clashes along the southwestern border, according to the country’s Information Ministry. The fighting took place in the Gulistan sector of Balochistan province, where Pakistan said it repelled an "attempted Afghan aggression." The ministry stated that at least 13 Taliban fighters were killed and several others injured during the incident on Thursday night. Residents of Chaman, a border town in Pakistan, reported that the exchange of fire lasted for several hours. However, the Associated Press was unable to independently confirm the casualty claims or the footage from either side. By Friday, the area had returned to an uneasy calm, with no further fighting reported. Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry denied suffering any casualties, asserting instead that Afghan forces had destroyed a Pakistani military post during the clash. It dismissed Pakistan’s account of the fighting as false. These conflicting claims come after Pakistan announced airstrikes on 10 sites in Afghanistan, which it said were used to store and launch drones that had attacked Pakistan earlier in the week. An Afghan government spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the strikes targeted areas in Kandahar, Paktia, and Khost provinces, killing four civilians. Pakistan’s Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, defended the airstrikes, saying they followed an attack by militants attempting to infiltrate Pakistan, which was stopped by Pakistani forces. He also mentioned that eight drones were launched from Afghanistan and that Afghan forces had shelled Pakistani border posts. Tensions between the two countries have been rising, with similar clashes occurring earlier in the week. On Monday, Pakistan conducted airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan, claiming to have killed 28 militants. Afghan authorities said three civilians were killed, a figure confirmed by the United Nations. The renewed hostilities have raised concerns about the effectiveness of peace mediation efforts by countries like China, Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, who are trying to secure lasting peace between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Pakistani Taliban, known formally as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is a separate group from but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban. The TTP has grown stronger since the Afghan Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, and its activities have contributed to ongoing instability along the border.