Pakistan and Afghan Taliban officials will meet in Doha on Saturday after Islamabad launched air strikes across the border that killed at least 10 people, ending a fragile 48-hour ceasefire that had briefly paused days of deadly clashes.
Pakistan’s state television said Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and intelligence chief Gen. Asim Malik were flying to Doha for talks with Afghan Taliban representatives. The Taliban confirmed a high-level delegation led by Defence Minister Mohammed Yaqub had departed for Qatar, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on X (formerly Twitter).
The strikes—carried out late Friday—hit multiple sites in Paktika province, according to Afghan officials, who accused Pakistan of breaking the truce. A provincial hospital official told AFP that 10 civilians were killed and 12 wounded, including two children. Kabul warned it would retaliate.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board said three players who had been in the region for a domestic tournament were killed in the strikes and announced Afghanistan’s withdrawal from a scheduled Tri-Nation T20I series with Pakistan next month. The board revised an earlier casualty figure that had been reported higher.
In Islamabad, a senior security official said Pakistani forces had carried out “precision aerial strikes” targeting the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, a local faction Islamabad says is linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and responsible for a recent attack that killed seven Pakistani paramilitary troops. Pakistan accuses Afghan territory of harbouring TTP militants—a claim Kabul denies.
The violence had intensified over the past week following explosions in Kabul and a Taliban border offensive, which prompted Pakistani reprisals. The brief truce, which began at 1300 GMT on Wednesday, was intended to halt border fighting but collapsed after the air strikes.
Reacting to the escalation, Defence Minister Asif accused Kabul of acting as “a proxy of India” and warned the sources of terrorism would “pay a heavy price,” posting on X that diplomatic demarches and delegations to Kabul would change. Taliban spokesman Mujahid said Afghan forces had been ordered not to fire unless attacked first, adding: “If they do, then you have every right to defend your country.”
Diplomats and analysts will watch Saturday’s Doha talks closely for any sign the two sides can curb cross-border violence or agree measures to prevent further civilian casualties.
