The Pakistani government and Afghan Taliban regime have agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire following a deadly escalation in violence between the two neighbours.
Pakistan carried out an air strike in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province on Wednesday, officials from both countries said, after more than a dozen civilians and troops were killed along the volatile Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The conflict on Wednesday shattered a fragile peace after weekend clashes that also killed dozens.
The weekend fighting was the worst between the neighbours since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021, despite regular clashes between their security forces along the contested 2,600-kilometre frontier.
The Afghan Taliban said more than a dozen of its civilians were killed and 100 wounded as Pakistani forces launched attacks in the early hours of Wednesday in the Spin Boldak district.
Afghan Taliban fighters patrol near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Spin Boldak. (Reuters)
Pakistan said four of its civilians were wounded in attacks by “Taliban forces” in the Chaman district, which is opposite Spin Boldak across the frontier.
Six Pakistani soldiers were killed and six wounded in a second incident of fighting between troops and militants in Pakistan’s border district of Orakzai, two security officials told Reuters.
Nine militants were also killed, they said, adding the violence broke out during a search in the area by troops after a militant attack last week killed 11 Pakistani soldiers.
The Pakistani military did not immediately respond to Reuter’s request for comment on the Orakzai clash, but dismissed Kabul’s accusation that Pakistan had launched the attack in Spin Boldak as “outrageous and blatant lies”.
Pakistan closed border crossings with Afghanistan, following exchanges of fire between the two countries. (Reuters: Fayaz Aziz)
Several border crossings closed after fighting
The recent friction between the two countries erupted after Islamabad demanded the Afghan Taliban administration tackle militants who have stepped up attacks in Pakistan, saying they operate from havens in Afghanistan.
The Taliban accused the Pakistani military of conspiring against Afghanistan by spreading misinformation, provoking border tension, and sheltering ISIS-linked militants to undermine the country’s stability and sovereignty.
Afghan Taliban, Pakistani soldiers fight along border after Kabul air strike
Pakistan’s military denies the charges and points to attacks in Pakistan by ISIS-K, or Islamic State Khorasan, the regional affiliate of the Islamic State group active in the neighbours.
It opposes the Taliban and has carried out bombings targeting civilians, officials and foreign interests.
The neighbours have closed several crossings along their border in the aftermath of the fighting, bringing trade to a halt and stranding scores of vehicles laden with goods.
Pakistan is the main source of goods and food supplies for landlocked, impoverished Afghanistan.
Last week’s clashes drew international concern, with China urging protection for both its citizens and investments, Russia calling for restraint, and US President Donald Trump saying he could help end the conflict.
The latest tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan has coincided with Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s first visit to Pakistan’s arch-rival, India.
On the visit, India and Afghanistan decided to upgrade ties, with New Delhi saying it would reopen its embassy in Kabul, while the Afghan Taliban plans to send its diplomats to India.
Reuters
