Afghanistan and Pakistan Hold Peace Talks in Doha Following Deadly Border Clashes

AFP

An Afghan man removes debris from a house, which was damaged after an air strike during cross-border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Afghanistan and Pakistan were holding peace talks in Doha on Saturday, officials from both sides confirmed, after extending a ceasefire following a week of intense border clashes. 

The violence, the worst between the two neighbours since the Taliban took power in Kabul in 2021, has left dozens dead and hundreds wounded.

“As promised, negotiations with the Pakistani side will take place today in Doha,” said Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, noting that the Kabul delegation, led by Defence Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob, had arrived for the talks.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office stated that Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif would lead discussions with representatives of the Afghan Taliban.

“The talks will focus on immediate measures to end cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghanistan and restore peace and stability along the Pak-Afghan border,” the statement said.

Officials on both sides indicated that the talks could extend beyond Saturday, with senior intelligence officials participating in the negotiations.

The clashes began after Islamabad demanded that Kabul rein in militants operating from Afghan territory, which Islamabad said were responsible for repeated attacks inside Pakistan. The ensuing confrontations included ground fighting and Pakistani airstrikes along the 2,600-kilometre (1,600-mile) contested frontier.

The Taliban deny providing safe havens for militants targeting Pakistan, accusing Islamabad of spreading misinformation and sheltering Islamic State-linked fighters to undermine Afghanistan’s stability and sovereignty. Islamabad rejects these claims.

Militant groups have waged a long-term insurgency in Pakistan, seeking to overthrow the government and impose their strict interpretation of Islamic governance. On Friday, a suicide attack near the border killed seven Pakistani soldiers and wounded thirteen, according to security officials.

“The Afghan regime must rein in the proxies who have sanctuaries in Afghanistan and are using Afghan soil to perpetrate heinous attacks inside Pakistan,” said Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir during a graduation ceremony on Saturday.

Hours after the ceasefire — initially declared on Wednesday and extended on Friday — Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan, targeting militant positions, according to Islamabad. Afghan officials claim the strikes affected civilians, and the Kabul government reserved the right to respond, although Afghan fighters were instructed not to retaliate to safeguard the negotiating team.

The recent escalation has also impacted sport. Afghanistan withdrew from the upcoming Twenty20 international tri-series in Pakistan, after the Afghanistan Cricket Board reported the deaths of three local cricketers in Paktika province, allegedly caused by military strikes.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar defended the operations, saying the strikes targeted “verified” Islamist militant camps along the border and denied any civilian casualties. He added that Pakistani forces had neutralised more than 100 militants, many linked to Friday’s suicide attack. Independent verification of the militant death toll and targets has not been possible.

Source: Reuters



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