Pakistan, Taliban agree to 48-hour ceasefire after ‘precision strikes’ in Afghanistan killed at least 5

At least five people were killed and 35 wounded in explosions Wednesday in Kabul, an Italian NGO which runs a hospital in the Afghan capital said, before a truce with Pakistan entered into effect.

"We started receiving ambulances filled with wounded people, and we learned that there had been explosions a few kilometers away from our hospital," Dejan Panic, EMERGENCY's country director in Afghanistan, said in a statement.

"Forty people have arrived so far, including women and children," he said, adding that "unfortunately, five people were already dead on arrival."

Earlier, Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban government agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire, hours after Pakistan carried out precision strikes in Kabul and Kandahar targeting what officials described as key Taliban strongholds.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the truce on Wednesday evening, saying it would take effect from 6 p.m. and last until Friday evening. The ceasefire, the ministry said, was reached on the Taliban’s request following days of intense cross-border clashes.

“During this period, both sides will engage in constructive dialogue to seek a positive and sustainable solution to the complex yet resolvable issues,” the Foreign Office said.

Pakistan’s precision strikes

Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s military carried out “precision strikes” inside Afghanistan’s Kandahar province and the capital, Kabul, targeting what it described as hideouts of the Afghan Taliban and extremist groups.

State broadcaster PTV News reported that the strikes were launched in response to what Pakistan described as “aggression” by Afghan Taliban forces along the frontier.

Quoting security sources, PTV News said the Pakistan Army conducted targeted operations in both Kandahar and Kabul, focusing solely on Taliban and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts.

According to the sources, in Kandahar, Pakistan’s precision strikes destroyed Taliban Battalion Headquarters No. 4, 8th Battalion, and Border Brigade No. 5, all of which were “carefully selected targets” located away from civilian areas. “All objectives were successfully destroyed,” they said.

An Afghan Taliban fighter sits on a tank near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Spin Boldak, Kandahar Province, following exchanges of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces in Afghanistan, October 15, 2025. Reuters

In Kabul, security sources said the strikes hit the main command center and leadership base of TTP network, referring to extremist factions accused of cross-border terrorism.

The sources added that Pakistan’s military demonstrated “full capability to deliver a powerful and effective response to any external aggression.”

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on X that the truce would take effect “at Pakistan’s request and insistence,” beginning after 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

He added that the Afghanistan had instructed all its forces to observe the ceasefire and maintain it “as long as no one violates it.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the Pakistani military said its troops had repelled “coordinated attacks” by Taliban fighters on several border posts in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

The clashes were concentrated around the Spin Boldak crossing — a major trade and transit route between the two countries — and in Pakistan’s Kurram district.

Pakistan said Taliban fighters used heavy weapons and damaged the Pak-Afghan Friendship Gate at Spin Boldak. “While repulsing the attack, 15 to 20 Afghan Taliban were killed and many injured,” the army said. It added that Pakistani troops also killed 25 to 30 militants during a separate assault in Kurram.

Rejecting Taliban claims that Pakistan initiated the violence, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), called the allegations “outrageous and blatant lies.”

An Afghan Taliban fighter sit next to an anti-aircraft gun near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Spin Boldak, Kandahar Province, following exchanges of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces in Afghanistan, October 15, 2025. Reuters

“The Armed Forces of Pakistan stand resolute and fully prepared to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country,” the ISPR said. “All acts of aggression against Pakistan will be responded to with full force.”

Security sources also reported a separate operation in Pakistan’s northwestern Mohmand district, where forces killed 30 militants described as Khawarij, a term used by the army for Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) militants.

According to the sources, the Taliban had attempted to send a large group of fighters across the border from Afghanistan’s Turkmenzai area to “spread terrorism inside Pakistan.” The attempt was thwarted, they said, calling it a “failed retaliation” for recent Pakistani counterterrorism operations.

The sources said the operation in Mohmand was still underway and that “more extremists may be eliminated.”

Last week, Afghan officials accused Pakistan of bombing areas in Kabul and eastern Afghanistan, but Islamabad did not comment on the allegations.

Escalating tensions

The renewed clashes mark one of the most serious flare-ups between Pakistan and the Taliban government since the group seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Islamabad, once a key backer of the Taliban, now accuses Kabul of sheltering members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) - an offshoot of the Afghan Taliban - responsible for a string of deadly attacks inside Pakistan in recent months. The Taliban deny providing sanctuary to the group.

An injured Afghan man receives treatment at a hospital in Spin Boldak, Kandahar Province, following exchanges of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces in Afghanistan, October 15, 2025.Reuters

Cross-border violence has surged as Pakistan’s security forces ramp up operations against militants near the frontier.

The fighting has also disrupted trade and travel. Border crossings have remained closed since Monday, stranding truck convoys and halting the movement of goods, including food and fuel, into Afghanistan — a landlocked nation already struggling with economic collapse and humanitarian crises.

The clashes have drawn concern from regional powers and global stakeholders. China urged both countries to ensure the safety of its citizens and protect Belt and Road investments. Russia called for restraint and dialogue, while U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington was ready to help mediate to “end hostilities and restore stability.”

*With input from AFP