Pakistan, Afghanistan trade fire as Islamabad prepares to host US-Iran talks

Afghanistan and Pakistan have traded heavy fire, both sides said, days after they announced a temporary pause in fighting, escalating tensions in the volatile region as Islamabad prepares to host talks between the U.S. and Iran.



The border clashes came on Sunday, the day Pakistan hosted regional powers to discuss de-escalation in the war in the Middle East, with an announcement that Islamabad could host the talks in coming days.



Both sides used artillery and heavy weapons to hit locations in Afghanistan's Kunar province and its bordering district of Bajur in Pakistan, officials said.



Pakistan's fire killed at least one person and injured another 16, most of them women and children, said Hamdullah Fitrat, a deputy spokesperson for Kabul's Taliban administration.



Pakistan only responded to heavy shelling from Afghanistan, security officials said, denying that it targeted any civilian locations. The officials declined to be identified as they were not authorised to speak to media.



Pakistan and Afghanistan's worst fighting in years erupted last month, claiming heavy human losses on both sides.