Temporary truce follows reported air strikes on Kabul and Kandahar as civilian casualties mount
Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban government have announced a temporary ceasefire following intense border clashes and alleged Pakistani air strikes on major Afghan cities, including the capital Kabul.
The 48-hour truce, which Pakistan says began at 13:00 GMT Wednesday, came after a day of escalating violence that left civilians dead and wounded. Each side accused the other of requesting the ceasefire first.
Civilian Casualties Spark International Concern
Taliban officials reported that 12 civilians were killed and more than 100 injured in the fighting. Kabul’s emergency surgical center received 40 people following explosions in the capital, with five arriving dead. The BBC has been unable to independently verify casualty figures from either side.
Pakistani military sources claimed their forces killed 15 to 20 Afghan Taliban fighters in the Spin Boldak border district, while Taliban government spokesmen said numerous Pakistani soldiers were killed.
Air Strikes Hit Afghan Cities
Pakistani state media reported that armed forces conducted air strikes targeting locations in Kandahar province and Kabul, though Pakistan’s military has not publicly confirmed the operations. Taliban government sources told the BBC that Kabul was hit by two air strikes, with witnesses reporting plumes of black smoke rising above the capital.
A Taliban spokesman initially stated that an oil tanker and generator had exploded, without linking the incidents to Pakistani strikes. Taliban authorities sealed off several streets in Kabul following the blasts.
Intense Morning Clashes
Fighting erupted around 04:00 local time near the Spin Boldak border crossing. Residents reported heavy clashes lasting nearly five hours, with drones and jets visible overhead.
“I see drones and jets flying over us, some of our relatives are wounded,” one local resident told the BBC.
A doctor in Spin Boldak said he counted seven bodies and 36 injured brought to his hospital, including men, women and children. A local Taliban official reported that hundreds of families had been displaced by the fighting.
Diplomatic Efforts and International Reactions
Pakistan’s Foreign Office stated that both sides would “make sincere efforts to find a positive solution to this complex but solvable issue through constructive dialogue” during the ceasefire period.
The Taliban government spokesman said Afghan forces had been instructed to respect the truce “as long as no one commits aggression.”
UN special rapporteur Richard Bennett expressed deep concern over civilian casualties and displacement, urging all parties to “exercise maximum restraint, protect civilians, and abide by international law.”
China, Russia, and US President Donald Trump have called for de-escalation, with Trump suggesting he could help broker peace.
Backdrop of Ongoing Tensions
The latest violence follows intense weekend clashes in which the Taliban claimed to have killed 58 Pakistani military personnel, while Islamabad said it killed 200 “Taliban and affiliated terrorists.”
Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of harboring Pakistani Taliban militants who launch attacks across the border. The Afghan Taliban consistently deny these allegations.
The fighting began after explosions in Afghanistan last week that Kabul blamed on Islamabad, further straining relations between the neighboring countries.
