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New Delhi: The Pakistani Army allegedly fired projectiles into Afghanistan's Kandahar province on Thursday, even as officials from both countries met in Turkey to resume peace negotiations aimed at stabilising their fragile ceasefire.
An Afghan military official told news agency AFP that Pakistan "used light and heavy weapons and targeted civilian areas" in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar. "We have not retaliated yet, out of respect for the ongoing negotiations," the official said. The shelling sparked panic among residents in the border areas, although no casualties have yet been reported.
The renewed border tension coincided with the third round of peace talks between Afghan and Pakistani delegations in Istanbul, held with mediation from Turkey and Qatar. The dialogue, which began earlier in Doha on October 19 and continued on October 25 in Istanbul, seeks to prevent a breakdown of the October 15 ceasefire agreement.
Relations between Islamabad and Kabul have deteriorated over the past year, with Pakistan accusing the Taliban government of sheltering members of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) -- a banned militant outfit that has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul, in turn, has accused Islamabad of backing factions of the Islamic State (ISIS) that have carried out bombings in Afghanistan.
The latest flare-up follows a string of violent incidents along the porous border. On October 11, heavy fighting broke out in which 23 Pakistani soldiers were killed. Pakistan claimed to have killed 206 Taliban fighters and 110 TTP militants during the clashes. The violence was preceded by explosions in Kabul on October 9, which the Taliban government blamed on Pakistan, triggering retaliatory strikes along the frontier.
The Pakistani delegation in Istanbul is led by ISI chief and National Security Adviser Lt Gen Aseem Malik, joined by representatives from the military, intelligence, and foreign ministries. The Afghan side includes Abdul Haq Wasiq, Director of Intelligence; Rahmatullah Najib, Deputy Interior Minister; Suhail Shaheen; Anas Haqqani; Kaher Balkhi; Zakir Jalali; and Afghanistan’s ambassador to Ankara. The discussions are scheduled to continue for two days.
Following the last round of talks, the Turkish foreign ministry had announced that both sides agreed to maintain the ceasefire and set up a joint monitoring mechanism to investigate and address any violations.
In Islamabad, Pakistani military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry reiterated earlier this week that Afghanistan must prevent cross-border attacks. He alleged that the Taliban administration was providing safe havens to TTP militants. "If diplomacy fails, Pakistan will respond with full force," he warned.
