The recent airstrikes have taken place on the same day a Pakistani delegation reached Doha, the capital city of Qatar, for crucial talks aimed at reducing escalating tensions with Afghanistan. The Afghan delegation is expected to arrive in Doha on Saturday to participate in the negotiations. However, just hours after both nations agreed to extend their 48-hour ceasefire, the Taliban accused Pakistan of launching airstrikes across several districts in Afghanistan’s Paktika province, which borders Pakistan along the Durand Line. According to reports from international media outlets, including AFP, a senior Taliban official declared that the ceasefire had effectively been “broken” following these strikes, bringing the fragile truce to an abrupt end.
Local Afghan sources reported that Pakistani fighter jets targeted multiple residential houses in the Argun and Bermal districts situated near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. While no official confirmation regarding casualties has been released yet, these attacks have further intensified the hostilities between the two sides. The timing of the strikes is particularly significant, given that both delegations were already preparing for peace talks in Doha, as noted by Reuters. The developments have raised doubts about the sincerity of the peace process and cast a shadow over efforts to de-escalate the violence that has engulfed the border regions in recent days.
The clashes between Afghan and Pakistani forces began on October 11, when Afghan troops reportedly launched attacks on several Pakistani military posts. Since then, the fighting has claimed numerous lives on both sides, highlighting the depth of the crisis. Taliban officials claim that at least 58 Pakistani soldiers have been killed during the hostilities, while Pakistan’s military reports that it has lost 23 personnel but killed over 200 militants, whom it described as “Taliban and affiliated terrorists.” These conflicting narratives reflect the ongoing information war between the two governments as each side seeks to justify its actions and portray itself as the victim of aggression.
Earlier on Friday, Pakistan’s internal security situation deteriorated further when seven Pakistani soldiers were killed and thirteen others injured in what authorities described as a “coordinated suicide attack” on a military camp in North Waziristan. According to reports from security officials, the attack began when a vehicle laden with explosives rammed into the outer wall of the Khaddi military camp located in the Mir Ali area. Two additional attackers then attempted to infiltrate the facility but were swiftly neutralized by Pakistani troops. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant organization operating independently of the Afghan Taliban, claimed responsibility for the assault, stating that its Khalid bin Waleed suicide unit and Tehreek Taliban Gulbahadar faction executed the operation.
Despite these rising tensions, both Islamabad and the Afghan Taliban administration had earlier agreed to a temporary 48-hour ceasefire, beginning at 6 p.m. on Wednesday (Pakistan Standard Time). The agreement came after several days of heavy air and ground combat that left at least a dozen civilians dead and about 100 others injured along the volatile border region, according to Reuters. The ceasefire was intended to create a brief window for dialogue and humanitarian assistance, but the renewed airstrikes have now thrown its effectiveness into question.
This latest round of clashes represents the most severe escalation in hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in 2021. The fragile peace that had persisted since then has now been shattered, with cross-border attacks and airstrikes driving both countries to the brink of a prolonged conflict. As diplomatic efforts continue in Doha, the international community watches with concern, fearing that the situation could spiral further out of control if both sides fail to commit to restraint and sustained negotiations.
