A brief truce between Afghanistan and Pakistan collapsed on Friday after Islamabad launched airstrikes across the border, an official of the ruling Taliban administration in Kabul confirmed, according to AFP.
The escalation came just hours after both nations had agreed to extend a 48-hour ceasefire until peace talks in Doha concluded, Reuters reported, citing three Pakistani security officials and one Taliban source.
A Pakistani delegation had already reached Doha, while an Afghan delegation was expected to arrive in the Qatari capital on Saturday, as part of efforts to defuse tensions that had flared along the border.
Ceasefire Conditional on Pakistan’s Restraint
Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told Ariana News, a local Pashto-language television network, that Kabul had instructed its forces to maintain the ceasefire as long as Pakistan refrained from attacks. However, the latest airstrikes appeared to have ended that fragile understanding.
Fighting Resumes After Days of Clashes
The temporary truce, brokered on Wednesday, had briefly paused days of intense cross-border fighting that left dozens dead and hundreds wounded. Both sides had accused each other of provocations along the contested frontier.
Neither Pakistan’s military and foreign ministry nor the Afghan defence ministry issued any official comment on the renewed hostilities or the ongoing talks in Doha.
From Allies to Adversaries
Once close allies, Islamabad and Kabul have seen relations deteriorate sharply, with border tensions escalating into ground clashes and airstrikes in recent weeks. The two sides had agreed to halt hostilities for 48 hours, a ceasefire that expired at 1300 GMT on Friday, just as Pakistan reportedly resumed strikes across the border.
