Following airstrikes, Pakistan and Afghanistan agree peace deal
Pakistan has carried out a new round of airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, both Pakistani and Afghan officials confirmed on October 15, as hostilities between the two neighbours continue to intensify, Reuters has reported.
Furthermore, according to Amaj News, Pakistani aircraft also struck multiple locations in Kabul, with at least four explosions reported in the capital. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on X that a fire broke out in the city following the explosion of an oil tanker, though he did not directly attribute it to the strikes.
The air raids come amid a surge in cross-border clashes. Earlier, Pakistan’s Geo TV was cited by Vedomosti as saying that Pakistani troops had launched attacks on Afghan border posts and militant positions on the night of October 12, seizing 19 outposts and inflicting “significant losses” on Afghan forces. Reuters separately reported that Islamabad had closed all border crossings with Afghanistan in the aftermath of the fighting. The renewed violence underscores the deepening rift between Islamabad and Kabul, following months of mutual accusations over militant incursions and cross-border attacks.
However, in just the past few hours, Pakistan and Afghanistan have reportedly agreed to a temporary ceasefire following several days of cross-border clashes, Vedomosti adds.
According to authorities in Islamabad, the truce took effect at 6pm local time at the request of the Taliban authorities in Kabul. Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti also cited the announcement, noting that the pause was aimed at easing hostilities along the tense frontier. There is as of yet no confirmed indication as to how long the truce will last.
Afghanistan And Pakistan Agree Cease-Fire After Deadly Air Strikes And Ground Fighting
October 16, 2025
By RFE RL
Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to a temporary cease-fire on October 15 after deadly air strikes and ground fighting raised fears of a full-blown conflict between the neighbors.
Pakistan carried out air strikes in Afghanistan’s southern province of Kandahar, causing multiple casualties, locals told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi.
Explosions were also heard in Kabul, according to city residents who spoke to Radio Azadi. Unverified footage on social media appeared to show plumes of smoke rising into the sky in the Afghan capital. The cause of the explosions was not immediately clear.
Ground fighting also erupted along the countries’ 2,600-kilometer-long border, leaving several dead on both sides.
Temporary Cease-Fire
In a statement later on October 15, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the sides had agreed to a “temporary cease-fire for the next 48 hours” starting at 6:00 p.m. Pakistan local time.
The latest violence came after fierce fighting erupted between Taliban fighters and Pakistani security forces on October 11-12, leaving dozens dead and key border crossings closed. It was the deadliest-ever fighting involving the sides.
The border clashes occurred just days after Pakistan carried out drone strikes in the center of Kabul as well as air strikes in eastern Afghanistan.
The violence has raised fears of an all-out war between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, longtime allies that have fallen out.
Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of sheltering the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) extremist group, which is waging an increasingly deadly insurgency against Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban, which seized power in 2021, denies the allegation.
Civilians Fleeing The Border Zones
Civilians on both sides of the border said the recent fighting had forced some to flee their homes amid fears of a broader war.
“Many people on both sides of the border have vacated their houses and fled the area for safer locations fearing that the fighting may expand,” Muhammad Naeem, a local journalist in the border town of Chaman, told RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal.
Residents of Spin Boldak, a district in the Afghan province of Kandahar which borders Chaman, said Pakistani military helicopters bombed a market.
“Civilian cars and homes were hit,” said a resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Taliban government in Kabul said 12 civilians were killed in the attack in Spin Boldak.
The recent spate of violence has led to the closure of border crossings, affecting local businesses and the movement of people.
“Border closures lead to higher prices and can affect people’s livelihoods,” said a Kabul resident who also did not want to be identified. “I hope the war will come to an end.”
Islamabad had backed the Taliban since the group’s emergence in the 1990s, allegedly continuing its support throughout the Taliban’s two-decade insurgency against the US-backed Afghan government.
Experts say the goal was to establish a friendly government in Kabul that would advance Pakistan’s interests — a strategy that now appears to have backfired.
Taliban fighters and Pakistani soldiers have sporadically clashed along the countries’ 2,600-kilometer border since 2021. But the ferocity of the recent violence and the explosive rhetoric are seen as a major escalation.
RFE RL
RFE/RL journalists report the news in 21 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established.
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