Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to 48-hour ceasefire after deadly border clashes
Pakistan and Afghanistan have reached a temporary 48-hour ceasefire following a fresh round of deadly clashes along their northwestern border that left dozens dead and injured.
The truce announced by Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry took effect at 6:00 p.m. local time in Pakistan on Wednesday.
“During this period, both sides will make sincere efforts to find a positive solution to this complex but solvable issue through constructive dialogue,” the ministry said.
The ceasefire comes after heavy fighting overnight on Tuesday in Kurram, a district in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Pakistani media reported that Afghan forces opened “unprovoked fire” on a Pakistani military post.
Pakistani troops returned fire, destroying several Afghan tanks and military positions, according to security officials.
Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid accused Pakistan of initiating the border fighting by firing “light and heavy weapons” across the border.
Mujahid said in a post on X that Pakistani forces killed 12 civilians and injured more than 100.
Clashes over the weekend left dozens dead on both sides. Kabul claimed its forces targeted Pakistani military positions, killing 58 soldiers in retaliation for repeated Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan.
Pakistan, however, disputed the figures, reporting that 23 soldiers were killed and more than 200 Taliban and affiliated fighters were killed.
Although mediation by Saudi Arabia and Qatar briefly halted fighting earlier in the week, all major border crossings remained closed, with tensions rising high.
The longstanding conflict stems from Pakistan’s accusations that Kabul harbors the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), responsible for carrying out deadly attacks in the South Asian country, a charge the Taliban denies.
While the ceasefire offers a temporary pause, many are concerned that mutual mistrust and recurring border skirmishes could spark a new wave of violence.
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