Pakistan, Afghan Taliban agree 48-hour ceasefire after strikes

Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have agreed to a temporary 48-hour ceasefire, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, adding that the truce would take effect from 6pm and is meant to enable focused talks on a sustainable de-escalation along the frontier. The announcement followed a series of retaliatory precision strikes by Pakistani forces on key Taliban positions in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province.

According to security sources, the strikes targeted Taliban Battalion No. 4 and Border Brigade No. 6, destroying strongholds and killing dozens of militants, including foreign operatives. Officials said the response showcased the military’s capacity to counter any external aggression while protecting border communities.

Security officials described a “state of panic” within Taliban ranks following the losses and accused the group of spreading misleading content online. They said a video circulating on social media wrongly implied a Pakistan Army tank had been captured; the footage, they noted, actually showed a Russian-made T-55 operated by the Afghan Taliban.

The officials also reported an attempted infiltration from the Turkmenzai area in Mohmand district aimed at staging terrorist attacks inside Pakistan. A major formation sent across the border was neutralised, with around 30 militants killed during the engagement, they said, while operations to secure the area continued.

In a related update, the Inter-Services Public Relations said Pakistani forces repelled an unprovoked attack in Balochistan’s Spin Boldak area. The Afghan side, ISPR added, damaged the Pak-Afghan Friendship Gate on their side of the border. During the clash, 15–20 Taliban fighters were killed and several others wounded.

ISPR further reported that on the night of October 14–15, Afghan Taliban and “Fitna al-Khawarij” elements attempted to strike Pakistani posts in Kurram district. Eight Afghan posts, including six tanks, were destroyed in a proportionate response, with an estimated 25–30 enemy combatants killed, according to the statement.

The border flare-up comes amid Pakistan’s repeated calls for Kabul to prevent its soil from being used by groups such as the TTP. Islamabad points to UN monitoring reports that have documented links between the Taliban regime and the TTP. Pakistan has also continued repatriation of undocumented Afghans under a government plan initiated in 2023.