Dawood Ahmed, News Desk:
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday announced a 48-hour ceasefire with Afghanistan following several days of intense cross-border clashes, agreeing to the truce at the request of the Taliban regime.
According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO), the temporary ceasefire was mutually agreed upon by both sides and will remain in effect for the next two days, starting 6 p.m. Wednesday.
“A temporary ceasefire has been decided between the Government of Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime, with the mutual consent of both parties, for the next 48 hours from 6 p.m. today, at the request of the Taliban,” the FO said.
“During this period, both sides will make sincere efforts to find a positive solution to this complex but solvable issue through constructive dialogue,” the statement added.
Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that Afghan forces had been instructed to respect the ceasefire “unless any aggression takes place.”
Precision Strikes in Kabul and Kandahar
Earlier, state broadcaster PTV News reported that Pakistan Armed Forces had carried out precision strikes targeting Taliban positions in Kandahar province and Kabul.
Quoting security sources, PTV said:
“Pakistan Army’s retaliatory action destroyed key hideouts of the Afghan Taliban in Kandahar. Battalion No. 4 and Border Brigade No. 6 were completely neutralized, with dozens of Afghan and foreign militants killed.”
Additional strikes were later confirmed in Kabul, where “the centre and leadership of Fitna al-Hindustan” were reportedly targeted — a term used by the state for terrorist outfits operating in Balochistan.
Security sources said the selected targets were “isolated from civilian areas and successfully destroyed.”
Border Hostilities and Heavy Casualties
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) earlier confirmed that Pakistani security forces had repulsed multiple Taliban attacks along the Spin Boldak border area in Balochistan, killing 15–20 Afghan Taliban fighters.
The ISPR described the assaults as “cowardly attacks” initiated from four positions inside Afghan territory.
The latest confrontation marks the third major border clash between Pakistan and Afghanistan within a week. Earlier skirmishes occurred in Kurram and other border regions, resulting in the martyrdom of 23 Pakistani soldiers and injuries to 29 others.
According to Pakistan’s military, intelligence reports estimate that over 200 Taliban fighters and affiliated militants have been neutralized since the escalation began.
