Afghanistan, Pakistan agree to immediate ceasefire after talks in Doha

Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire after talks mediated by Qatar and Turkiye following a week of fierce and deadly clashes along their disputed border.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said early on Sunday that Afghanistan and Pakistan had agreed to the ceasefire “and the establishment of mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability between the two countries”.

 Doha said the two countries also agreed to hold follow-up meetings in the coming days “to ensure the sustainability of the ceasefire and verify its implementation in a reliable and sustainable manner”.

 The delegations agreed to meeting in the coming days in order to discuss maintaining the ceasefire.

Armed clashes erupted on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday morning. According to the PTV television channel, the Pakistani military delivered a strike on terrorist positions in Afghanistan to retaliate an attack on checkpoints in the Kurram District in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. According to Taliban Deputy Spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat, twelve people were killed and more than 100 were wounded. He said that Afghan forces had to retaliate early morning attacks by Pakistani troops.