(Doha, 19th) — The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced early Sunday (October 19) that, following mediation in Doha, Afghanistan and Pakistan reached a consensus on an "immediate ceasefire" on Saturday (18th), and agreed to hold follow-up meetings in the coming days "to ensure the ceasefire is sustainable and the implementation can be reliably verified."
Reuters reported that the talks were co-hosted by Qatar and Turkey.
After a week of intense border clashes, Afghanistan and Pakistan held negotiations in Doha on Saturday. According to the Pakistani side, the talks focused on "immediately ending cross-border terrorist attacks against Pakistan originating from Afghan territory" and restoring stability in the border areas.
Ground exchanges of fire and Pakistani border airstrikes over the past week have left dozens dead and hundreds wounded, described as the most severe confrontation between the two countries since the Taliban regained control of Kabul in 2021.
The trigger for this round of ground clashes was Pakistan's claim that some militants were hiding in Afghanistan and crossing the border to launch attacks on Pakistani territory, demanding that Afghanistan take action to stop them; the Afghan side denied sheltering such groups and instead accused Pakistan of spreading false information and harboring elements linked to "Islamic State" (IS), while Pakistan denied these allegations.
Reuters reported that the talks were co-hosted by Qatar and Turkey.
After a week of intense border clashes, Afghanistan and Pakistan held negotiations in Doha on Saturday. According to the Pakistani side, the talks focused on "immediately ending cross-border terrorist attacks against Pakistan originating from Afghan territory" and restoring stability in the border areas.
Ground exchanges of fire and Pakistani border airstrikes over the past week have left dozens dead and hundreds wounded, described as the most severe confrontation between the two countries since the Taliban regained control of Kabul in 2021.
The trigger for this round of ground clashes was Pakistan's claim that some militants were hiding in Afghanistan and crossing the border to launch attacks on Pakistani territory, demanding that Afghanistan take action to stop them; the Afghan side denied sheltering such groups and instead accused Pakistan of spreading false information and harboring elements linked to "Islamic State" (IS), while Pakistan denied these allegations.