KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: Afghan forces clashed on Friday with Taliban fighters in Spin Boldak after launching an operation to retake the key border crossing with Pakistan as regional capitals stepped up efforts to get the warring sides talking. Dozens of wounded Taliban fighters were being treated at a Pakistan hospital near the border after fierce overnight fighting, Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondents at the scene reported. BORDER BATTLE Stranded people gather as Pakistani troops stand guard at the border town of Chaman on July 14, 2021 (July 15 in Manila) after the Taliban claimed they had captured the Afghan side of the border crossing of Spin Boldak along the frontier with Pakistan. Residents of Spin Boldak, which fell to the Taliban on Wednesday, said the Taliban and army were battling in the main bazaar of the border town. Hesamuddin Shams told AFP.

Source: Manila Times July 16, 2021 14:26 UTC