Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said after dozens of troops and civilians were killed earlier in the fresh round of border skirmishes. Pakistan carried out ‘precision strikes’ in Kabul on Wednesday. “Pakistan carried out precision strikes in Kandahar and Kabul provinces,” a security source told news agency AFP about the southern Afghan province where the Afghan Taliban originated as well as the area around the capital.
The Afghan Taliban government ordered the army to respect the 48-hour Pakistan ceasefire, an official said, as per AFP.
Violence along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border has escalated sharply, with Pakistan’s military expanding its attacks beyond Afghan military posts to residential areas near Khost and Kandahar. The Afghan Taliban government reported that over 12 civilians have died and more than 100 have been injured in the recent bombings.
Among the casualties is journalist Abdul Ghafoor Abid, who was covering the attack, while another local reporter, Tawab Arman, remains hospitalised after sustaining injuries.
Since last week, Pakistani forces have increasingly targeted Afghan homes, drawing comparisons to the devastation in Gaza due to the destruction of civilian property. Early on Wednesday, a drone strike in the Zazi Maidan area of Khost demolished around 20 houses. Meanwhile, at the Spin Boldak border of Kandahar, two aerial strikes hit residential and market areas, further escalating civilian suffering.
Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed, “12 civilians were killed and more than 100 wounded in these strikes on populated regions.”
According to reports, the death toll on both sides reached 50.
Cross-Border Fighting Escalates Tensions
Fresh clashes erupted along the volatile 2,600 km (1,600-mile) frontier, claiming the lives of civilians and soldiers and shattering an already fragile peace. The weekend confrontations marked the worst border violence since the Taliban regained control of Kabul in 2021.
In Pakistan, four civilians were wounded in Chaman district during attacks allegedly carried out by “Taliban forces”, according to Pakistani sources cited by Reuters. Additionally, fighting in Orakzai’s border region killed six Pakistani paramilitary soldiers and left six others injured. Nine militants were also reported dead, following a troop operation after last week’s attack that claimed 11 Pakistani soldiers.
The Pakistani military has rejected Kabul’s claims that it targeted Spin Boldak, describing them as “outrageous and blatant lies”.
Following the clashes, several border crossings between the two countries have been shut, halting trade and leaving dozens of trucks stranded. Pakistan remains Afghanistan’s principal supplier of essential goods and food, and the blockade has raised concerns over the impact on Afghanistan’s impoverished population.
International Attention On Afghanistan-Pakistan Conflict
International attention has also turned to the conflict. China urged protection for its citizens and investments in the region, Russia called for restraint, and U.S. President Donald Trump expressed willingness to mediate to end the violence.
The current tensions coincide with Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s first official visit to India. During the visit, India and Afghanistan agreed to enhance diplomatic ties, with New Delhi announcing plans to reopen its embassy in Kabul and the Taliban indicating they will send diplomats to India.
(With Inputs By Shivank Mishra)
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