Pakistan said on Wednesday it agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire with Afghanistan following days of violence that have killed dozens of people on both sides of the border.
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Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the ceasefire was at Afghanistan’s request.
Moments later, the Taliban government’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the truce was at “the insistence” of the Pakistani side. His social media post did not mention a 48-hour time frame. All Afghan forces have been instructed to observe the ceasefire “as long as no one violates it”, Mujahid added.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harbouring armed groups, a charge rejected by the Taliban rulers. Pakistan is grappling with militant attacks that have increased since 2021, when the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan.
The escalation of tensions is likely to destabilise a region where groups, including Islamic State and al-Qaeda, are trying to establish a foothold and resurface.
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Earlier on Wednesday, before the ceasefire announcement, Pakistan said its forces killed dozens of Afghan security forces and militants in overnight fighting. The clashes had stopped briefly on Sunday following appeals from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Pakistan forces said they had repelled “unprovoked” assaults, but denied targeting civilians after the Taliban government said more than a dozen were killed and more than 100 others wounded when Pakistan targeted sites in a border area of Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province.