Taliban and Pakistan agree to ceasefire after days of deadly clashes

Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban government have agreed to an “immediate ceasefire” after more than a week of deadly fighting.

Qatar’s foreign ministry, which is mediating talks with Türkiye, said both sides agreed to create “mechanisms that will consolidate lasting peace and stability.”

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said it was “important” to end “hostile actions”, while Pakistan’s foreign minister called the agreement “a first step in the right direction”.

Both sides claim to have suffered heavy losses during the clashes; This is the worst conflict since the Taliban came to power in 2021.

Islamabad has long accused the Taliban of harboring armed groups carrying out attacks in Pakistan, which it denies.

Fighting intensified along the 1,600-mile-long mountainous border shared by the two countries after the Taliban accused Pakistan of launching an attack on the Afghan capital, Kabul.

There were rumors that the explosions in Kabul were an attack on Pakistani Taliban leader Noor Wali Mehsud. In response, the group released an unverified voice note stating that Mehsud was still alive.

In the following days, Afghan troops opened fire on Pakistani border posts, prompting Pakistan to respond with mortar fire and drone strikes.

At least three dozen Afghan civilians were killed and hundreds were injured, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said on Thursday.

A temporary ceasefire was declared on Wednesday night after the delegations met in Doha, but cross-border strikes continued.

On Friday, the Taliban attacked Pakistan He carried out an air attack that killed 8 peopleincluding three local cricketers.

According to the new agreement, the Taliban stated that they “will not support groups that launch attacks against the Government of Pakistan”, while both sides agreed to refrain from targeting each other’s security forces, civilians or critical infrastructure.

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said the latest ceasefire meant “terrorism from Afghanistan on Pakistani territory will be stopped immediately” and that the two sides would meet in Istanbul next week for further talks.

Pakistan was a major supporter of the Taliban after its ouster following the US-led invasion in 2001.

But relations soured after Islamabad accused the group of providing a safe haven for the Pakistani Taliban, who have launched an armed insurgency against government forces.

According to the report, the group carried out at least 600 attacks on Pakistani forces last year. Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.