Afghanistan, Pakistan To Hold Peace Talks In Doha Amid Fragile Cease-Fire

Afghanistan and Pakistan will begin peace talks on October 18 in the Qatari capital of Doha after the countries agreed to extend a 48-hour cease-fire.

"As promised, negotiations with the Pakistani side will take place today in Doha," Zabihullah Mujahid, an Afghan government spokesperson, said on X, adding that the Taliban delegation will be led by Defence Minister Mohammed Yaqub.

Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed late on October 17 to extend their 48-hour truce until the conclusion of the talks in Doha after Taliban officials accused Pakistan of violating an earlier cease-fire agreement following air strikes on Afghan soil late on October 17 that reportedly killed 10 civilians.

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"Pakistan has broken the cease-fire and bombed three locations in Paktika," a province in southeastern Afghanistan, a senior Taliban official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

On October 17, seven Pakistani soldiers were also killed in a suicide attack near the Afghan border. A militant outfit previously affiliated with the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) extremist group claimed responsibility.

The recent violence raised fears of an all-out war between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, longtime allies that have fallen out.

Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of sheltering the TPP, which is waging an increasingly deadly insurgency against Pakistan.

The Afghan Taliban, which seized power in 2021, denies the allegation.

A Fraying Cease-Fire

Ten civilians, including two children, were killed and 12 others were injured in the October 17 attack. Among the dead were at least three local cricket players and five other men, according to locals.

The killing of the three cricketers prompted Afghanistan to pull out of a tri-nation series with Pakistan and Sri Lanka scheduled for next month. Afghanistan's cricket board said the players had traveled to Paktika Province to take part in a friendly match.

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Pakistan "conducted precision aerial strikes" in Afghan border areas, a senior security official told AFP. The official said the "precision strike" had targeted a local group of Taliban fighters, the Gul Bahadur Group, which Islamabad says is given safe haven by Kabul.

An RFE/RL reporter in Pakistan's South Waziristan district across the border from Paktika reported that Pakistani drones had also bombed Khandar, a village in the Afghan province's Argun district.

Rising Tensions Between The Taliban And Islamabad

News of those attacks came as both sides were seeking to extend their frail cease-fire deal.

The countries had reached an initial 48-hour cease-fire on October 15, hours after Pakistan carried out air strikes in Afghanistan and the sides exchanged artillery and gunfire along their contested border.

As the cease-fire neared its end on October 17, the sides said they had agreed a truce until the conclusion of planned talks in Qatar. However, it was unclear this would hold in light of the attacks. Delegations from both countries were expected to arrive in the Gulf state over the weekend.

The recent bout of violence came after Pakistan on October 9 carried out unprecedented drone strikes in Kabul targeting alleged members of the TPP.

The drone strikes triggered fierce fighting between Taliban fighters and Pakistani security forces on October 11-12, leaving dozens dead and key border crossings closed. It was the deadliest-ever fighting involving the sides.

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On October 15, Pakistan carried out air strikes in Afghanistan’s southern province of Kandahar, causing multiple casualties.

Suspected Pakistani air strikes also hit Kabul. The blasts killed at least five people, according to Emergency, an Italian NGO that runs a hospital in the city.

With reporting by AFP