**Afghanistan and Pakistan Agree to Immediate Ceasefire Following Deadly Clashes**
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry announced Sunday. The agreement comes after more than a week of fighting that left dozens dead and hundreds injured.
According to a statement from Qatar, the two countries have agreed to establish mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability. Follow-up talks are planned in the coming days to ensure the sustainability of the ceasefire. Delegations from Afghanistan and Pakistan met in Doha for these talks, which were mediated by Qatar and Turkey.
Both governments sent their defense ministers to lead the discussions. Pakistan stated that the talks would focus on “immediate measures to end cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghanistan and restore peace and stability along the border.” However, each country has accused the other of aggression. Afghanistan denies harboring militants who carry out attacks in border areas.
Regional powers, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have called for calm as the violence threatens to further destabilize a region where terrorist groups such as the Islamic State and al-Qaida are attempting to resurface.
### Recent Escalation and Airstrikes
A 48-hour ceasefire intended to pause hostilities expired Friday evening. Hours later, Pakistan launched airstrikes across the border. Pakistani security officials confirmed to The Associated Press that strikes targeted two districts in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province.
The targets were hideouts of the militant Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. One official said the operation was a direct response to a suicide bombing of a security forces compound in Mir Ali, Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a day earlier.
Pakistani Air Force raids reportedly killed dozens of armed fighters with no civilian casualties, according to Pakistani sources. However, Afghan officials reported that the airstrikes killed at least 10 civilians, including women, children, and local cricketers. In response, Afghanistan’s national cricket board announced it would boycott an upcoming series in Pakistan.
### Public Response and Official Statements
On Saturday, several thousand people attended funeral prayers in Paktika province. The ceremony was held outdoors, with loudspeakers broadcasting sermons and condemnation of the attacks.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government’s chief spokesman, criticized the “repeated crimes of Pakistani forces and the violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty.” He described the attacks as provocative and deliberate attempts to prolong the conflict.
### Background and Border Issues
Afghanistan and Pakistan share a 2,611-kilometer (1,622-mile) border known as the Durand Line, which Afghanistan has never formally recognized. Pakistan is currently grappling with a surge in militancy, particularly in border areas. It has accused India, its nuclear-armed rival, of backing armed groups targeting Pakistan, though it has not provided evidence.
In a recent address at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, urged Afghans to choose “mutual security over perpetual violence and progress over hardline obscurantism.” He emphasized that “the Taliban must rein in the proxies who have sanctuaries in Afghanistan.”
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*Associated Press writers Abdul Qahar Afghan in Jalalabad, Afghanistan; Sajjad Tarakzai in Islamabad; and Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this report.*
https://whdh.com/news/afghanistan-and-pakistan-have-agreed-to-an-immediate-ceasefire-qatar-says/
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