Pakistan And Afghanistan Reach Ceasefire After Another Round Of Deadly Clashes (Videos)

File image.

A 48-hour ceasefire between Afghanistan and Pakistan was reached on October 15, following another wave of deadly border clashes.

Both sides accused the other of triggering the clashes which spanned between the district of Spin Boldak in Afghanistan’s Kandahar and the district of Chaman in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, overnight.

In a post on X, Afghan Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid accused the Pakistani military of initiating the border fighting.

“Unfortunately, this morning, once again, Pakistani forces launched attacks with light and heavy weapons on Afghanistan in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar, as a result of which up to 12 civilian compatriots were martyred and more than 100 were wounded,” Mujahid said.

“Subsequently, Afghan forces were also compelled to launch counterattacks. As a result, a large number of Pakistani invading soldiers were killed, their posts and centers were captured, weapons and tanks were seized from them, and most of their military facilities were also destroyed,” the spokesman continued.

“At 8 o’clock, the battle was brought back under our control, but the mujahideen, with high morale, are ready to defend their homeland, sanctity, and people,” he added.

Videos that surfaced online later on confirmed that Afghan forces managed to storm some Pakistani posts along the border.

However, the Pakistani military blamed Afghan forces for first firing on one of its military posts and other areas near the border.

“Afghan Taliban resorted to cowardly attack at four locations in Spin Boldak area of Balochistan. The attack was effectively repulsed by Pakistani Forces,” the military said in a statement.

“While repulsing the attack, 15-20 Afghan Taliban have been killed and many injured. The situation is still developing. There are reports of further build up in staging points of Fitna Al Khwarij and Afghan Taliban,” it added.

The military reported another attempt by Afghan forces to attack a post in Kurram Sector in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“These attacks were effectively repulsed causing heavy losses to Afghan Posts. Eight posts including six tanks were destroyed in the effective yet proportionate response of Pakistani troops. 25-30 Afghan Taliban and Fitna Al Khwarij fighters were suspected to have been killed,” it said.

In addition, the military called the claims made by Afghanistan “outrageous and blatant lies,” stressing that its forces “stand resolute and fully prepared to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan.”

The fighting on the border first broke out following strikes in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and the border province of Paktika on October 9 that the Taliban blamed on Pakistan, though Islamabad has not officially acknowledged the attacks. The target was reportedly senior members of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, more known as Pakistani Taliban.

Right after the latest round of clashes, a Pakistani foreign ministry statement said the two countries would implement a “temporary ceasefire” for 48 hours starting 1300 GMT on the same day, adding the truce was requested by Kabul.

Afghanistan’s chief spokesman Mujahid stated, however, that the ceasefire was due to the “insistence of the Pakistani side.”

Just before the ceasefire was announced, AFP reported, citing a Pakistani security force, that the country carried out precision strikes in Kabul. Around the same time, explosions were heard in Kabul, where a fuel tanker and a generator had exploded, sparking fires in the Afghan capital, according to Afghanistan’s chief spokesman.

The conflict between Pakistan and Afghan Taliban, who were once close allies, appear to be over for now, but re-election remains possible.

The two clashed in the past more than once, even earlier this year. The latest confrontation, however, came right after President Donald Trump threatened the Taliban with “bad things” if they do not give back Bagram Airfield to the U.S. Due to this it can’t be ruled out that Washington baited Islamabad, a major non-NATO ally, against Kabul to pressure the group, for example by providing intelligence on the activities of Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan.

Another factor was a rapprochement between Afghanistan and India, a long time rival of Pakistan. The confrontation coincided with a historic trip by Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to New Delhi, which revealed that it was planning to open its embassy in Kabul. It is natural for Islamabad to see this as a threat.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence

NOW hosted at southfront.press

Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.

The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation

Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com

SOUTHFRONT.PRESS

MORE ON THIS TOPIC: