 "An Afghan Taliban fighter sits on a tank near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Spin Boldak, Kandahar Province, following exchanges of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces in Afghanistan, on October 15, 2025. (Photo: Stringer/Reuters)")
After dozens of deaths in clashes along the disputed border, Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban on Wednesday agreed to a temporary, 48-hour ceasefire.
In a statement carried by Reuters, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said that the country has reached a temporary, 48-hour ceasefire with Afghanistan’s Taliban starting 6 pm local time.
Separately, Taliban Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said they had agreed to a ceasefire at Pakistan’s request. He said it came into effect at 5:30 pm local time.
“At the request and insistence of the Pakistani side, a ceasefire between the two countries will be implemented today after 5:30 pm. The Islamic Emirate instructs all its forces to respect the ceasefire after 5:30 pm as long as no aggression is committed,” said Mujahid on X.
In the latest round of Taliban-Pakistan clashes that began in the early hours of Wednesday, dozens are believed to have been killed on both sides of the disputed border. The Taliban said Pakistan carried out attacks in the Spin Boldak district of Afghanistan’s Kandahar province. In response, the Taliban said their forces killed several Pakistani soldiers and captured their posts and equipment, including tanks.
On its part, Pakistan said that clashes began when the Taliban attacked Pakistani personnel at multiple places along the disputed border, including in Balochistan in the southwest and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the northwest.
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Last week, longstanding tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan blew into outright hostility as the two sides had worst clashes. Last week, Afghanistan’s capital Kabul was rocked by explosions that the Taliban said were a result of Pakistani airstrikes. The Taliban then launched attacks on Pakistani forces across the Durand Line, the line dividing the two countries that the Taliban have long rejected as the two countries’ border.
Taliban claim capturing Pakistani posts, tanks
In a statement on X, Taliban Spokesperson Mujahid said Pakistani attacks in Spin Boldak killed more than 12 civilians and injured over 100 people.
In the Taliban’s retaliation, “several Pakistani aggressor soldiers were killed, their posts and centers were captured, weapons and tanks fell into the hands of Afghan forces, and most of their military installations were destroyed”, said Mujahid.
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In the Orakzai district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, at least six Pakistani soldiers were killed as Taliban units stormed Pakistan’s Maahmoodzai post, top intelligence sources told CNN-News 18.
Sources further said that heavy artillery firing damaged Pakistan’s forward posts and field communication system along the border in the Chaman district.
“Wireless and field communication networks have been hit, hampering coordination among security units," intelligence sources said.
Pakistan says it struck Kabul again
Both the Taliban and Pakistan claimed they had the upper hand in the daylong fighting. Pakistan’s state media reported that the country conducted airstrikes in Kabul and Kandahar before agreeing to a ceasefire.
State broadcaster PTV reported that Pakistan conducted “precision strikes” in Kandahar and Kabul.
The report quoted security sources as saying that these strikes targeted and destroyed “key hideouts” of the Taliban.
The report said these strikes targeted Afghan Taliban Battalion Headquarters Number 4, Battalion 8, and Border Brigade No 5 in Kandahar, and killed dozens of foreign and Afghan operatives.
These strikes also targeted the centre and leadership of Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP), a group distinct from the Afghan Taliban, the report said.
“All these targets were meticulously selected, isolated from civilian populations, and successfully destroyed,” the report further said.
Earlier in the day, the Pakistani military said its forces repulsed an attack by Afghan Taliban last night and killed 15-20 attackers, according to Dawn newspaper.
The Pakistani military said in a statement that the Afghan Taliban “resorted to cowardly attack[s] at four locations in [the] Spin Boldak area” in the early hours of Wednesday and that “the attack was effectively repulsed by Pakistani forces”, the newspaper reported.
In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa theatre, the Pakistani military said it repulsed Taliban’s attack and dealt heavy losses to the Taliban. It further said that it destroyed eight posts and six tanks of Afghan forces.