Clashes have broken out again between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban forces, each side accusing the other of violating a fragile ceasefire. The renewed fighting began overnight along the 1,600-mile (2,600 km) border, prompting residents to flee the Afghan city of Spin Boldak.

A medical worker in Kandahar confirmed that four bodies were brought to a local hospital, with four others reported wounded. Three people were also said to have been injured in Pakistan.

Sporadic fighting has flared up in recent months, and tensions have been further inflamed by accusations from Afghanistan’s Taliban government that Pakistan has conducted airstrikes within Afghan territory. Both sides confirmed they exchanged fire overnight, but they placed blame on each other for initiating the four-hour conflict.

A spokesperson for Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accused the Taliban of “unprovoked firing,” stating that Pakistan’s armed forces responded with a “befitting & intense” counterattack. The statement reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to protecting its territorial integrity and citizens.

In contrast, a Taliban spokesperson claimed that Pakistan had initiated the attacks and that the group had been “forced to respond.”

Residents on the Afghan side of the border reported that the fighting began around 22:30 (18:00 GMT) on Friday, December, 5, with large numbers of Afghans fleeing the area, both on foot and in vehicles. Ali Mohammed Haqmal, head of Kandahar’s information department, stated that Pakistan had used both light and heavy artillery, with civilian homes being hit by mortar fire.

These clashes come less than two months after both sides agreed to a ceasefire mediated by Qatar and Turkey, which had ended more than a week of deadly fighting—the worst clashes between Pakistan and the Taliban since the latter regained power in 2021. Despite the ceasefire, tensions between the two nations have remained high.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban of harboring armed groups that carry out attacks within Pakistan, a claim that the Taliban denies, accusing Pakistan of shifting blame for its own security issues. Over the past year, the Pakistan Taliban is reported to have carried out at least 600 attacks on Pakistani forces, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

Last week, delegations from both sides met in Saudi Arabia for a fourth round of peace talks, but no agreement was reached. Sources close to the negotiations confirmed that both sides had agreed to continue with the ceasefire despite the ongoing tensions.