Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to temporary ceasefire : NPR

People bring a man injured during clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces in the border area for treatment at a hospital in Chaman, Pakistan, on Wednesday.

H. Achakzai/AP

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H. Achakzai/AP

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan announced Wednesday that it had agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire with Afghanistan after days of violence that killed dozens of people on both sides of the border.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the ceasefire was in response to Afghanistan’s request.

Moments later, the Taliban government’s chief spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the truce was a result of the “insistence” of the Pakistani side. His social media post on X did not mention a 48-hour deadline. All Afghan forces have been instructed to respect the ceasefire “as long as no one violates it,” Mujahid added.

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring armed groups, an accusation rejected by the country’s Taliban leaders. Pakistan has been grappling with militant attacks that have increased since 2021, when the Taliban took power in Afghanistan.

The escalating tensions are likely to destabilize a region where groups including the Islamic State and al-Qaeda are trying to gain a foothold and resurface.

Earlier on Wednesday, before the ceasefire was announced, Pakistan said its troops had killed dozens of Afghan security forces and militants in nighttime fighting. The clashes briefly stopped on Sunday following calls from major regional powers, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Pakistani forces said they repelled “unprovoked” attacks but denied targeting civilians after the Taliban government said more than a dozen people were killed and more than 100 injured when Pakistan targeted sites in a border area of ​​Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan.

Mujahid, chief spokesperson of the Taliban government, earlier said that Pakistan used light and heavy weapons in the attacks on Spin Boldak in Kandahar. Afghan forces retaliated and killed several Pakistani soldiers, seized military posts and captured weapons, including tanks, Mujahid added.

The Pakistani military has also targeted militant hideouts in the Afghan capital, two Pakistani security officials said Wednesday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media.

Residents in the Pakistani border town of Chaman reported mortars falling near villages and some families were seen evacuating early Wednesday.

“This fighting has been going on since early (Wednesday) morning and people who live near the border are leaving the area,” said Najibullah Khan, a resident of Chaman, who urged both countries to end the fighting to prevent further bombing.

Pakistan’s border regions have seen violence since 1979, when Pakistan became a frontline state in the war against the US-backed Soviet Union.

“After the September 11 attacks, Pakistan’s tribal belt descended into chaos as the Afghan Taliban, al-Qaeda and other groups operated on both sides of the border to attack NATO forces and Pakistani security forces,” said Abdullah Khan, defense analyst and director general of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict Studies and security.

Since Wednesday, the main border crossings remain closed.