At least four Afghan civilians were killed and five injured in a cross-border clash with Pakistani forces late Thursday, even as delegations from both countries met in Istanbul for peace talks aimed at sustaining a fragile truce.
According to Afghan official Ali Mohammad Haqmal, Pakistan’s forces initiated the firing in Kandahar’s Spin Boldak district, though Afghan troops “did not respond” to avoid disrupting the negotiations. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, however, rejected the claim, saying Afghan forces opened fire first.
Tensions flared along the Chaman-Spin Boldak border, where both sides briefly exchanged fire before calm was restored. Pakistan said the ceasefire, brokered by Qatar on October 19, remains in effect.
The talks in Turkiye are being led by Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. Asim Malik and Afghanistan’s intelligence chief Abdul Haq Wasiq, with mediators from Qatar facilitating discussions on curbing cross-border militancy.
Relations between Islamabad and Kabul have worsened in recent months amid a surge in militant attacks inside Pakistan, many claimed by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which Islamabad says operates from Afghan soil.
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