'Afghan' firing on Pakistan census team kills several

A Pakistani army spokesman says Afghan security forces have fired on Pakistani census workers and troops escorting them near the Afghan border, killing one civilian and wounding 18 others.

For hours, villages in Chaman, along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, raged with the sound of gunbattles between the Pakistani military forces guarding their side of the border, and the Afghan forces doing the same thing.

Pakistan's military said Afghan border police had been "creating hurdles" since April 30 for the census team in the Chaman area.

At least three children are among the injured and two of the victims are said to be in critical condition.

Pakistan has also accused Afghanistan of harbouring militants who carry out attacks in its territory. And capping off this skirmish was the sudden but expected closure of the Chaman border crossing by the Pakistani authorities.

"We had warned Pakistan that if they undertook any census activity [in the divided villages] we will retaliate", said General Abdul Raziq, Afghan regional police chief.

Afghan media has quoted Afghan officials as saying that exchange of firing started after "Pakistani forces entered Afghan side of the border".

'Afghan' firing on Pakistan census team kills several

Nadim said tensions between Afghan and Pakistani border forces are bad for both countries.

Meanwhile, Pakistan deployed more army and FC troops on the border. Durani said the clash erupted when Pakistani "militias" tried to cross the border Friday morning.

Pakistani Maj. Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza asked the Afghan military to ensure its forces stay on their side and take every step to "defuse the situation" while the Pakistani military would "work within our own border".

Later Friday, the Pakistani military said a hotline had been established between the two sides and that the cross-border shooting had stopped. Afghanistan has traditionally enjoyed better ties with Pakistan's rival, India.

Recent Pakistani attempts to establish fences and border posts along the border to curtail the movement of Taliban fighters into Pakistan have been met with resistance from Afghanistan, which disputes the border.

Thousands of travelers use the Chaman border crossing to move in both directions, and it also serves as a major trade and transit route for landlocked Afghanistan.