The Foreign Office (FO) on Wednesday announced that a temporary ceasefire has been agreed with Afghanistan for the next 48 hours amid recent border hostilities between the two countries.
“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 6pm today, at the request of the Taliban.
“During this period, both sides will make sincere efforts to find a positive solution to this complex but solvable issue through constructive dialogue,” the FO said.
Taliban regime spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said on X that Afghan forces were instructed to respect the ceasefire, “unless any aggression takes place”.
Earlier, state broadcaster PTV News reported that the Pakistan armed forces conducted “precision strikes” in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province and capital Kabul. A statement uploaded on X, quoting security sources, said: “Pakistan Army’s retaliatory action against Afghan Taliban aggression, key hideouts destroyed key hideouts of Afghan Taliban successfully targeted by Pakistan Army.
“These precision strikes were carried out in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province. As a result of these strikes, Afghan Taliban Battalion Number 4 and Border Brigade Number 6 completely destroyed. Dozens of foreign and Afghan operatives killed.”
The statement added that the Pakistan Army possessed the “full capability to give a strong and complete response to any external aggression”.
In a subsequent update, PTV reported, citing security sources, that strikes were conducted in Kabul as well.
“The centre and leadership of Fitna al-Hindustan were targeted in Kabul. The Pakistan Army possesses the full capability to give a befitting response to any aggression,” PTV reported.
The PTV post quoted security sources as saying that the Pakistan Army targeted Afghan Taliban Battalion Headquarters No 4, Battalion 8, and Border Brigade No 5 in Kandahar. “All these targets were meticulously selected, isolated from civilian populations, and successfully destroyed,” the post read.
Earlier in the day, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said security forces repulsed an attack by the Afghan Taliban along the Balochistan border, killing around 15 to 20 of their members.
According to the ISPR, Afghan Taliban “resorted to cowardly attack[s] at four locations in [the] Spin Boldak area” in the early hours of Wednesday. “The attack was effectively repulsed by Pakistani forces,” the statement said.
Wednesday’s fighting is the third major skirmish between Pakistan and Afghanistan within a week, following the incident in Kurram last night and earlier skirmishes that began on Saturday night and continued into Sunday morning at several locations.
According to the ISPR, 23 Pakistani troops were martyred and 29 injured in the incident that began with Afghan Taliban attacking posts across the border. The military’s media affairs wing also said that credible intelligence estimates and damage assessment showed that “more than 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists have been neutralised, while the number of injured is much higher”.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Wednesday received a message from Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Qatar Dr. M. Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi regarding the regional situation.
Dr Al-Khulaifi appreciated Pakistan’s constructive engagement in fostering regional peace and security, a press release issued by the Foreign Office Spokesperson said.