Pakistan and Afghanistan Extend Ceasefire Amid Deadly Border Clashes and Doha Peace Talks

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to extend their 48-hour ceasefire until peace talks in Doha conclude, according to three Pakistani security officials and one Afghan Taliban source. The truce extension came after a deadly suicide attack near the Afghan border killed seven Pakistani soldiers and wounded 13 others, highlighting the fragile state of the ceasefire.

Pakistani officials confirmed that militants attacked a military base in North Waziristan, with one attacker detonating a vehicle packed with explosives. Six militants were killed, according to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office. Hours later, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated that Kabul would uphold the ceasefire as long as Pakistan refrained from attacks.

However, within hours of this announcement, Afghan officials reported Pakistani airstrikes in Paktika province’s Barmal and Urgun districts, killing eight local cricketers returning from a match. Neither the Afghan defense ministry nor Pakistan’s army commented on the strikes. One Pakistani security official noted that the ceasefire was agreed upon with the Taliban government, not with militants operating from Afghanistan who continue attacks in Pakistan.

The temporary truce paused several days of fierce cross-border clashes that killed dozens and injured hundreds. Islamabad’s foreign office confirmed that dialogue efforts were ongoing but offered no details. The renewed violence underscores the deepening tensions between the two nations, once close allies, now locked in their worst conflict in decades.

Prime Minister Sharif said Pakistan acted after losing patience with Kabul over repeated militant incursions. The Taliban denies harboring militants and accuses Islamabad of spreading misinformation. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have stepped in to mediate peace, as the international community watches the escalating crisis closely.