Pakistan’s Foreign Office announced on Wednesday that a temporary 48-hour ceasefire has been agreed upon with Afghanistan, following several days of intense cross-border clashes. The decision was made with the mutual consent of both parties and came at the request of the Taliban, the statement noted.
Pakistan Confirms Temporary Truce
According to the Pakistan’s Foreign Office, “A temporary ceasefire has been decided between the Pakistani government and the Afghan Taliban regime, with the mutual consent of both parties, for the next 48 hours from 6 pm today, at the request of the Taliban.”
The statement added that “during this period, both sides will make sincere efforts to find a positive solution to this complex but solvable issue through constructive dialogue.”
Meanwhile, Taliban regime spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid also confirmed on X that Afghan forces had been instructed to respect the truce “unless any aggression takes place.” Earlier, Dawn reported that Pakistan’s state broadcaster, PTV News, cited security sources confirming that the Pakistan Armed Forces had carried out “precision strikes” in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province and the capital, Kabul. A statement shared on X and quoted by PTV said that the Pakistan Army launched retaliatory action in response to aggression from the Afghan Taliban, successfully targeting and destroying key hideouts.
According to the statement, the strikes led to the complete destruction of Afghan Taliban’s Battalion Number 4 and Border Brigade Number 6, resulting in the deaths of dozens of Afghan and foreign operatives.
Pakistan-Afghanistan Conflict
Notably, Wednesday’s clashes marked the third major conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan in a week, following earlier fighting in Kurram and several skirmishes over the weekend. The ISPR (Inter-Services Public Relations) said that in one of the earlier attacks, 23 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 29 injured when Afghan Taliban fighters attacked border posts. In response, the Pakistani military said it had killed over 200 Taliban and affiliated militants, with many more injured.
Afghanistan’s Taliban government claimed its attack was in retaliation for alleged Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghan territory the previous week. Pakistan did not confirm these airstrikes but stated that it has the right to defend itself against cross-border attacks.
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