KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Pakistan launched fresh airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Paktika province late Friday, killing at least 10 people and injuring eight, Taliban authorities confirmed.
Local sources told KabulNow the strikes hit areas in the Barmal and Argun districts around 8:00 p.m.
Taliban officials told AFP that the ceasefire agreed on Wednesday had been “broken” by Islamabad and warned the group would “retaliate.” Pakistani authorities have not commented on the attacks.
The strikes came hours after reports that the temporary ceasefire between the two countries had been extended. A senior diplomatic source quoted by Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper said the truce, set to expire Friday evening, was prolonged until the conclusion of talks in Doha, Qatar, where officials from both sides are scheduled to meet on Saturday.
The 48-hour ceasefire, agreed on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Kabul time, had temporarily halted nearly a week of intense border clashes that left dozens of civilians and soldiers dead on both sides.
The recent violence escalated last Saturday following Pakistani airstrikes in Kabul and Paktika, reportedly aimed at TTP militants. The Taliban responded with an offensive along the southern border, triggering clashes in multiple areas across the frontier.
Security concerns remain central to the dispute. Pakistan accuses the Taliban of harboring militants from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a charge Kabul denies. Hours before the ceasefire ended, a TTP faction claimed responsibility for a deadly attack in North Waziristan, Pakistan, that killed seven Pakistani soldiers, according to local media.
