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The UN humanitarian office in Afghanistan says ongoing clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan have increased the needs of Afghan women and expanded emergency support programmes.

Media outlets affiliated with the Taliban reported that Taliban forces attacked Pakistani border troops in Balochistan in response to Pakistani airstrikes on Kandahar.

Several civil society and human rights organisations have expressed concern over rising tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan, calling for an immediate ceasefire, the protection of civilians and the start of political dialogue to end the clashes.

Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan’s minister for information and broadcasting, said at least 481 fighters from the Taliban have been killed since the start of the clashes between the two sides.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister, held talks with China's ambassador, Zhao Xing on the security situation and the ongoing conflict with Pakistan.

Clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan entered a sixth day on Tuesday, in what has become the most intense direct confrontation between the two sides in recent years.

The World Food Programme said it has suspended operations in border areas following clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan, affecting about 160,000 vulnerable families.

Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the war waged by Israel and the United States against Iran could determine the future of the Islamic Republic.

Qatar has arrested 10 suspects allegedly linked to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to the country’s state news agency.

A US-based Iranian human rights organisation said more than 1,000 civilians have been killed in Iran since the United States and Israel launched military strikes against the Islamic Republic on 28 February.

The Taliban’s Defence Ministry said its forces attacked Pakistani border troops in Kandahar Province overnight.

Sources say Pakistani border forces have attacked Taliban checkpoints along the frontier in Zabul Province.

The United Nations has warned that about 200,000 additional Afghan children are expected to suffer acute malnutrition this year as foreign aid declines and tensions escalate along the border with Pakistan.

Afghanistan has ranked last among 181 countries in the latest Women, Peace and Security Index published by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, recording the poorest performance on women’s rights.

Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan’s information minister, said that by Tuesday, 3 March, 464 members of the Taliban had been killed and more than 665 wounded in Operation “Ghazab-ul-Haq”.

Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban, said the group is prepared for a prolonged conflict if fighting continues.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Pakistani strikes inside Afghanistan have caused casualties, destroyed hospitals and homes, and displaced “tens of thousands” of people.

Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban, condemned Pakistan’s continued airstrikes on Afghan cities and said the group could close Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul if the attacks persist.

Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban, said on Tuesday that Russia, China, the European Union and the United Kingdom had contacted the group in efforts to end the war.

On the fifth day of fighting between the Taliban and Pakistan, both sides reported heavy casualties. The Taliban claimed that more than 100 Pakistani personnel had been killed since the start of the conflict.

Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said achieving military objectives in Iran would take time.