Pakistan carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan hours after a 48-hour truce, killing at least 10 people and wounding 12 in Paktika province, local officials said on Friday (October 17). 

Two children were among the dead, according to authorities in the southeastern province. A Taliban official told AFP that Pakistan had violated the ceasefire and warned that Kabul would respond. 

Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said talks would be held in Doha on Saturday (October 18) “to calm the situation,” with an Afghan delegation led by Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob. 

A Pakistani delegation also travelled to Qatar for the discussions as both sides extended the temporary truce to cover the talks, according to Reuters. 

Pakistani participation has been reported to include senior security officials; Islamabad has not publicly released a full list of attendees. 

Afghan cricket authorities said eight civilians were killed in one of the strikes, including three local players who were taking part in a community tournament. In protest, the Afghanistan Cricket Board withdrew from a Twenty20 tri-series scheduled in Pakistan with Sri Lanka from November 17–29. 

Islamabad said its operations were precision strikes against the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, which it links to recent attacks inside Pakistan, including a suicide bombing that killed seven soldiers. (The HGB claim of responsibility for such attacks has been reported by regional media.) 

Afghan media and local officials have reported additional casualties from separate strikes and cross-border fire, particularly around Spin Boldak in Kandahar, amid the heaviest fighting since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Independent verification of those higher figures remains limited. 

Source: Agencies

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