Pakistan, Afghanistan extend ceasefire as Doha talks set to begin
PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed on Friday (Oct 17) to extend their 48-hour ceasefire until the conclusion of upcoming talks in Doha, according to Pakistani and Afghan officials.
A Pakistani delegation has already arrived in Doha, while an Afghan delegation is expected on Saturday, sources told Reuters. The talks aim to stabilise tensions following days of deadly border clashes.
Word of the truce extension emerged hours after a suicide attack near the Afghan border killed seven Pakistani soldiers and wounded 13 others, highlighting the fragility of the situation.
DEADLY BORDER ATTACK AMID FRAGILE CALM
Pakistani officials said militants targeted a military camp in North Waziristan, ramming an explosive-laden vehicle into its perimeter wall before two gunmen attempted to storm the base. All six attackers were killed, according to the office of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Later in the day, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told Afghan media that Kabul had ordered its forces to maintain the ceasefire as long as Pakistan refrained from any further attacks.
DOHA TALKS TO FOLLOW DAYS OF FIERCE FIGHTING
The truce, which first took effect on Wednesday, paused several days of heavy cross-border fighting that killed dozens and wounded hundreds.
Neither Pakistan’s military nor Afghanistan’s defence ministry commented on the upcoming talks.
“In this situation, things are moving quickly. If dialogue is to take place somewhere, we will share information at the right time,” said a Pakistani foreign office spokesperson in Islamabad.
“But at this point, I have no specific information to share,” he added.
LONG-SIMMERING TENSIONS
Once close allies, Islamabad and Kabul have exchanged artillery and airstrikes across their frontier in recent weeks before agreeing to the short-term truce that expired on Friday afternoon.
Pakistan says militants based in Afghanistan have intensified attacks inside its territory and has demanded that the Taliban government rein them in.
The Taliban denies harbouring militants, accusing Pakistan of spreading misinformation, provoking tensions, and backing Islamic State-linked groups to destabilise Afghanistan, allegations Islamabad rejects.
REIGONAL MEDIATION EFFORTS
The Pakistan Red Crescent said Afghanistan handed over the bodies of seven Pakistanis, including two security personnel and five civilians who were killed earlier in the week.
The latest fighting marks the worst confrontation between the two countries in decades and has drawn mediation efforts from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which have sought to broker a lasting ceasefire.
US President Donald Trump has also said Washington is willing to help mediate the conflict.
