Days after deadly border clashes, Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to 48-hour ceasefire

There was no immediate confirmation on the matter from the Taliban government.

The announcement came following renewed fighting along the border that killed and injured dozens, officials said. The clashes erupted overnight Tuesday in the remote area spanning southeastern Afghanistan’s Spin Boldak district and Pakistan’s Chaman district.

Both sides blamed each other for initiating the violence.

In a post on X, Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid accused Pakistani forces of opening fire with “light and heavy weapons,” killing 12 civilians and injuring more than 100. Ali Mohammad Haqmal, a press spokesman in Spin Boldak, put the civilian death toll at 15. A district hospital official cited by AFP said 80 women and children were among the wounded.

Mujahid claimed that Afghan forces returned fire, killing “a large number” of Pakistani soldiers, capturing weapons and tanks, and destroying military installations.

Pakistani authorities, however, said Taliban forces fired first on a military post and nearby areas, sparking clashes that wounded four Pakistani civilians. Reuters quoted unnamed security officials reporting six Pakistani soldiers were killed during the roughly five-hour confrontation.

Residents on both sides of the border were forced to flee. Najibullah Khan, living in Chaman district, told Al Jazeera, “People are in a very difficult situation. Shells are falling in people’s homes.”

The ceasefire comes as both countries pledged to use dialogue to resolve the “complex yet resolvable” issues along the border.