Pakistan, Afghanistan extend ceasefire as Doha talks set to begin, sources say

PESHAWAR, Pakistan/KABUL - Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed on Oct 17 to extend their 48-hour ceasefire until the conclusion of talks in Doha, according to three Pakistani security officials and one Afghan Taliban source.

A Pakistani delegation had already arrived in Doha while an Afghan delegation was expected to reach the Qatari capital on Oct 18, said the sources, who did not want to be named as they were not authorised to speak to the media.

Word of the truce extension emerged just hours after a deadly suicide attack near the Afghan border killed seven Pakistani soldiers and wounded 13 others, underscoring the fragility of the situation.

Pakistani security officials said militants attacked a military camp in North Waziristan district, with one attacker ramming an explosive-laden vehicle into the boundary wall and two others attempting to storm the facility before being shot dead.

According to a statement from the office of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, six militants were killed in the assault.

Later in the day, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told Ariana News, a Pashto language local television news channel, that Kabul had instructed its forces to maintain a ceasefire as long as Pakistan refrained from any attack.

Within hours of the truce extension, police spokesman Mohammad Ismail Mawia in Afghanistan’s Paktika province said Pakistan had conducted air strikes in Barmal and Urgun districts.

He did not give any details of the casualties.

Afghanistan Cricket Board spokesman Sayed Naseem Sadaat said the strike killed eight local cricketers, who were travelling back to Urgun district after playing a match.

Neither the Afghan Defence Ministry nor the Pakistani army responded to a request for a comment on the air strike.

One of the Pakistani security officials also confirmed the fresh air strike, saying the ceasefire was struck with the Afghan Taliban and not with the Islamist militants holed up in Afghanistan who launch attacks in Pakistan.

Dozens killed in days of fierce fighting

A temporary truce between the South Asian neighbours on Oct 15 paused days of fierce fighting that killed dozens and wounded hundreds.

Pakistan's military and the Afghan Defence Ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the ceasefire and the talks in Doha.

“In this situation, there is a crisis situation, things are… moving. But if a dialogue is to take place somewhere, we will, in the right time, inform you,” a Pakistani foreign office spokesperson told a weekly news briefing in Islamabad. “But... at this point in time, there is no specific information which I can share with you.”

Once allies, Islamabad and Kabul engaged in fierce ground fighting, and Pakistan also launched air strikes across their contested frontier before they reached the 48-hour ceasefire that ended at 1pm GMT (9pm Singapore time) on Oct 17.

Militant violence in Pakistan has been a major irritant in its relationship with the Afghan Taliban, which returned to power in Kabul after the departure of US-led forces in 2021.

The latest conflict between the two countries was triggered after Islamabad demanded that Kabul rein in militants who had stepped up attacks in Pakistan, saying they operated from havens in Afghanistan.

Seven Pakistani soldiers killed in suicide attack

In the suicide attack on Oct 17 in North Waziristan district in north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, six militants were killed, Mr Sharif's office said in a statement, without providing details on the number of soldiers killed.

Pakistan's army did not respond to a request for comment.

The identity of the attackers was not known and no group has claimed responsibility.

Pakistan acted after losing patience with Kabul, Sharif says

Mr Sharif said on Oct 16 that Pakistan “retaliated” after losing patience with Afghanistan following a series of militant attacks, but was ready to hold talks to resolve the conflict.

The Taliban denies giving haven to militants to attack Pakistan and accuses the Pakistani military of spreading misinformation about Afghanistan, provoking border tensions and sheltering ISIS-linked militants to undermine its stability and sovereignty.

Islamabad denies the accusations.

On Oct 17, the Pakistan Red Crescent said Afghanistan had handed over to it the bodies of seven Pakistanis – two security personnel and five civilians – who were killed during clashes earlier in the week.

Although the Islamic nations have clashed in the past, the fighting in October is their worst in decades. It has drawn the attention of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who have mediated and sought to stop the fighting.

US President Donald Trump has said he can help resolve the conflict. REUTERS