RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime agreed to a 48-hour temporary ceasefire starting at 6:00 pm Wednesday, following a Taliban regime request after Pakistan destroyed multiple Afghan Taliban strongholds in Kabul and Kandahar provinces.
Earlier in the day, in retaliation by Afghan forces, Pakistan carried out precision strikes against key positions of the Afghan Taliban and Khawarij in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, and Spin Boldak in the Kandahar provinces, successfully destroying multiple strongholds.
Security sources said that the strikes conducted prior to the announcement of a 48-hour ceasefire by Pakistan, targeted the Afghan Taliban’s Battalion No 4 and 8, and Border Brigade No 5 and 6, which were completely destroyed. The sources also confirmed that the attacks resulted in the deaths of dozens of Afghan Taliban and Khawarij fighters. “These targets were separate from the civilian population and were selected with precision and successfully destroyed,” the sources said. They maintained that the Pakistan Army possesses full capability to respond effectively to any external aggression and will continue to safeguard national borders with strength and resolve.
Also, in the early hours of Wednesday, the Pakistan Army effectively repulsed an Afghan Taliban attack at four locations. While repulsing the attack, 15-20 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed and many injured, according to a news release issued by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR). The situation is still developing, with reports of further build-up in staging points of Fitna Al Khawarij and the Afghan Taliban. “Unfortunately, the attack was orchestrated through divided villages in the area, with no regard for the civilian population. The Afghan Taliban also destroyed the Pak-Afghan Friendship Gate on their side, which clearly displays their mindset with regards to mutual trade and easement rights of the divided tribes,” it said.
“On the night of October 14/15, Afghan Taliban and Fitna Al Khawarij tried to attack Pakistani border posts in the Kurram sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These attacks were effectively repulsed, causing heavy losses to Afghan posts. Eight posts, including six tanks, were destroyed in the effective yet proportionate response of Pakistani troops. 25-30 Afghan Taliban and Fitna Al Khawarij fighters were suspected to have been killed,” it further said.
The Armed Forces stand resolute and fully prepared to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan. All acts of aggression against Pakistan will be responded to with full force, it said.
Meanwhile, the Government of Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime have mutually agreed to a 48-hour temporary ceasefire, starting from 6:00 pm on Wednesday, following a request made by the Taliban, the Foreign Office announced. It said the ceasefire is aimed at creating space for constructive dialogue between both sides in an effort to address a complex but resolvable issue.
Meanwhile, security sources said that the Afghan Taliban, in a state of frustration and panic following the Pakistan Army’s strong and decisive retaliation, resorted to false propaganda to hide their failures. They said that Pakistan’s recent operations targeted the leadership of Fitna Al Hindustan in Kabul. In a video shared online, the impression was given that a T-55 tank had been captured from the Pakistan Army, the sources said. However, they clarified that the Russian-made T-55 tank shown in the footage was, in fact, being operated by the Afghan Taliban themselves.
The security sources further said that Pakistan’s armed forces successfully repelled the Taliban’s aggression with full effectiveness and remain steadfast in the defence of the motherland despite the group’s false propaganda.
The militants also attempted to infiltrate Pakistan through the Turkmenzai border area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mohmand district. The infiltration attempt was aimed at launching terrorist activities inside Pakistan, the sources said. “A major formation sent from across the border was completely neutralised in Mohmand, where at least 30 militants were killed,” the sources said. They further said that the Pakistani forces’ timely and forceful response thwarted the plot, forcing the Afghan Taliban to rely on elements of Fitna Al Khawarij to continue their operations. The security sources said that the Pakistan Army used heavy artillery to destroy various posts and Khawarij hideouts in the Zhob and Chaman sectors.
The sources also exposed fake Afghan propaganda of the destruction of the Pak-Afghan Gate by Pakistani forces on the Pakistan side. “In fact, the Afghan Taliban destroyed the gate on their side and falsely depicted on social media that Pakistani forces damaged the gate on the Pakistan side,” the sources said, adding that the Afghan Taliban, with fake propaganda on social media, are following in the footsteps of Indian media. “The Afghan Taliban and Khawarij are totally frustrated because of the killings of over 100 militants and the destruction of various posts and hideouts since last night,” the sources said.
Meanwhile, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir called on President Asif Ali Zardari at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, where both discussed the internal and external situation of the country. The COAS also briefed the president on the overall internal and external security environment of the country.
According to an announcement from the Aiwan-e-Sadr, the army chief also apprised the President of the recent security situation arising from the aggressive and provocative actions of the Afghan Taliban regime, as well as the measured and befitting response by the Armed Forces of Pakistan. Zardari expressed full confidence in the strength, valour, capacity, and preparedness of Pakistan’s Armed Forces. He lauded their vigilance and professionalism in defending the nation’s frontiers and in swiftly repelling cross-border attacks along the Afghan border. The president reaffirmed that Pakistan will defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity at all costs.
Separately, President Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also held a meeting and reviewed matters of national significance, including the prevailing political and security situation, and recent regional as well as international developments affecting Pakistan’s strategic and economic interests. Shehbaz called on Zardari at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. He was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah, Mohsin Naqvi, Azam Nazeer Tarar, senators Saleem Mandviwala, Sherry Rehman, and Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari.
According to an announcement from the Aiwan-e-Sadr, the prime minister apprised the president of his recent visits to Egypt and Malaysia, including his engagements with international leaders and efforts for peace in Gaza. Both leaders also held a one-on-one discussion, during which they exchanged views on key national priorities and the overall direction of government policies, where they agreed to continue political consultations on matters of national importance.
Separately, the president strongly condemned the unprovoked cross-border attacks launched from Afghan territory on Pakistani border posts in Balochistan and the Kurram sector of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He termed the attacks a blatant violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and an unacceptable act of aggression.
He observed that the Afghan Taliban regime remains in constant violation of the Doha Accord by providing safe sanctuaries to terrorist groups that continue to attack regional countries, destabilising the entire region, including Pakistan. He further noted that the regime has failed to establish a broad-based and representative government in Afghanistan and continues to monopolise power to the exclusion of other political and ethnic groups.
The president called upon the authorities in Kabul to ensure that Afghan soil is not used for acts of terrorism or hostility against Pakistan. He emphasized that such provocations undermine regional peace and the long-standing bonds of brotherhood between the peoples of Pakistan and Afghanistan. He reaffirmed that Pakistan desires peaceful, cooperative relations with all its neighbours, but any act of aggression will be met with a firm and resolute response.
Prime Minister Shehbaz also expressed concern over provocations by the Afghan Taliban, Fitna Al Hindustan, and Fitna Al Khawarij at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The prime minister, in a statement, paid tribute to the security forces for thwarting the attack by the Afghan Taliban in the Kurram sector. He said that the Pakistan Army gave a befitting response to the Afghan Taliban’s unprovoked aggression. “The use of Afghan soil for terrorist incidents in Pakistan is highly condemnable,” he said, and reiterated the country’s resolve to defend its security.
Meanwhile, the Taliban government in Afghanistan ordered its army to respect a 48-hour ceasefire. “A ceasefire was established between the two countries after 5:30 pm this evening. The Islamic Emirate also orders all its forces to respect this ceasefire,” Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on the social media platform X.
After Pakistan’s precision strikes, the Taliban government spokesman said an oil tanker and a generator had exploded, sparking fires, although he did not explicitly link the blasts to the clashes with Pakistan. Ambulances raced through Kabul, and shattered glass from damaged buildings littered the streets, AFP saw. Taliban forces also cordoned off some city streets. All businesses in the Spin Boldak area were closed, and many residents have fled, an AFP correspondent reported.
