Afghanistan, Pakistan Agree to Immediate Ceasefire After Week of Deadly Clashes: Qatar FM

Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire following more than a week of fierce cross-border fighting that killed dozens and injured hundreds, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday.

According to the statement, both sides committed to establishing mechanisms aimed at ensuring lasting peace and stability, with follow-up talks planned in the coming days to maintain the ceasefire’s sustainability. The negotiations, held in Doha and mediated by Qatar and Turkiye, marked the most serious effort in years to defuse tensions between the two neighbors.

Defense ministers from both countries led their respective delegations. Pakistan said the talks focused on “immediate measures to end cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghanistan and restore peace and stability along the border.” Each side has accused the other of aggression, while Afghanistan has repeatedly denied harboring militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan.

Regional powers, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, had earlier appealed for calm as the violence threatened to destabilize a region where groups such as Daesh and Al-Qaeda are seeking to reassert themselves.

The ceasefire follows an escalation after a 48-hour truce expired Friday evening, prompting Pakistan to carry out cross-border airstrikes. Pakistani security officials confirmed strikes on militant hideouts in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province, targeting members of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group in retaliation for a suicide bombing on a security forces compound in Mir Ali, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a day earlier.

The officials claimed the raids killed dozens of fighters with no civilian casualties. However, Afghan authorities reported at least 10 civilian deaths, including women, children, and local cricketers, sparking outrage and leading Afghanistan’s cricket board to boycott an upcoming series in Pakistan.

Thousands attended funeral prayers in Paktika on Saturday, where clerics condemned the attacks.

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denounced the strikes as “repeated crimes of Pakistani forces and a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty,” calling them “deliberate attempts” to prolong the conflict.

The two countries share a 2,611-kilometer (1,622-mile) border known as the Durand Line, which Afghanistan has never formally recognized. Pakistan, meanwhile, is battling rising militancy in its border regions and has accused India of backing armed groups — allegations New Delhi denies.

Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, on Saturday urged Afghanistan to choose “mutual security over perpetual violence and progress over hard-line obscurantism.” He added, “The Taliban must rein in the proxies who have sanctuaries in Afghanistan.”