Tensions rise between Pakistan and Afghanistan as short truce nears its end
Assalamu Alaikum - may Allah protect the innocent.
A fragile 48-hour ceasefire that began this week is due to end at 13:00 GMT on Friday, and tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been climbing as it runs out.
Just before the truce was to expire, Pakistani police official Irfan Ali reported a suicide car bombing at a military compound in Mir Ali, North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, blamed on fighters linked to the TTP. Accounts of what happened and the losses vary across reports.
One report quoted an official saying three fighters were killed in a heavy gunbattle and did not mention troop casualties. Another source said a suicide attacker rammed an explosive vehicle into a Pakistani military camp, killing seven soldiers, while two fighters were shot as they tried to enter the facility and at least 13 people were wounded. Local outlets also reported that four assailants were killed and security forces suffered no losses. The Pakistan army has not immediately commented.
This ceasefire brought a brief stop to some of the worst cross-border fighting since 2021, when the Taliban took power after international forces left. Islamabad says fighters who have stepped up attacks inside Pakistan are operating from safe areas in Afghanistan and has demanded Kabul act. The Taliban government rejects that claim and accuses Pakistan of spreading misinformation and stoking border tensions.
There have been media reports that Qatar offered to host talks in Doha to try to calm things down, but neither side has confirmed that. Local reporters say friendly countries are trying to get the ceasefire extended so things don’t spiral.
Afghan authorities said Pakistan carried out two drone strikes on Kabul the day before the truce, and doctors told news outlets that five people were killed and dozens wounded - inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.
The UN mission in Afghanistan reported this week that 37 civilians were killed and 425 wounded inside Afghanistan as a result of cross-border clashes; Pakistan has not released figures for civilian casualties on its side. Pakistan’s military media wing said operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this week killed 34 members of what it called “Fitna-al-Khawarij,” a term used for TTP, and described them as India-backed.
May Allah grant safety to civilians and guide leaders toward a peaceful resolution. I’ll keep watching this and pray for calm in the region.
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