ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghan Taliban officials are set to meet in Doha after Islamabad carried out air strikes across the border that killed at least 10 people and ended a brief ceasefire, officials on both sides said.
Pakistan’s delegation, led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and intelligence chief General Asim Malik, will hold talks with an Afghan team headed by Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqub, Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed.
The strikes came a day after a 48-hour truce paused nearly a week of deadly clashes that had already claimed dozens of military and civilian lives on both sides.
Afghan officials said Pakistan bombed three locations in Paktika province, where hospital sources reported ten civilian deaths and 12 wounded, including two children.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board said three domestic players caught up in the violence were among the dead and announced it would withdraw from a scheduled TriNation T20 series with Pakistan.
Islamabad said the air strikes were precision strikes against the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, a local faction it links to the Tehreek-eTaliban Pakistan (TTP), and said the group had been behind a recent attack that killed seven Pakistani paramilitary troops in North Waziristan.
Pakistan accuses elements in Afghanistan of providing sanctuary to extremists who mount attacks across the border; Kabul denies harbouring such groups.
Tensions escalated after explosions in Kabul earlier in the week and a subsequent Taliban offensive along the southern frontier.
When the ceasefire began, Pakistan framed it as a limited 48-hour halt; Kabul said it would stand as long as Pakistan did not violate it. Pakistani Defence Minister Asif accused Kabul of acting as a “proxy of India”, declaring that future responses would be tougher.
Taliban spokesmen reiterated orders not to initiate attacks but said forces could defend themselves if struck. The Doha talks aim to stabilise the situation and prevent further cross-border bloodshed as both sides face pressure to de-escalate amid mounting civilian harm. – AFP
