Pakistan Breaks Ceasefire with Fresh Airstrikes in Afghanistan Killing 10 Civilians

A 48-hour ceasefire between Afghanistan and Pakistan expired Friday evening as Pakistan launched fresh airstrikes inside Afghanistan territory.

According to Afghan officials speaking to AFP, Pakistan conducted air strikes late Friday that killed at least 10 people, effectively breaking the ceasefire that had brought a brief period of calm to the border region.

"Pakistan has broken the ceasefire and bombed three locations in Paktika province," a senior Taliban official told AFP, speaking anonymously. The official added, "Afghanistan will retaliate."

A provincial hospital official confirmed that ten civilians were killed and 12 others wounded in the strikes, with two children among the fatalities.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board reported that three players who were in the region for a tournament were among those killed, revising an earlier reported toll of eight. In response, the board announced its withdrawal from the upcoming Tri-Nation T20I Series involving Pakistan scheduled for next month.

A senior Pakistani security official confirmed to AFP that forces had "conducted precision aerial strikes" in Afghan border areas targeting the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, a local faction linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban.

Islamabad claimed that this same group was responsible for a suicide bombing and gun attack at a military camp in North Waziristan district bordering Afghanistan, which resulted in the deaths of seven Pakistani paramilitary troops.

Security concerns remain at the core of tensions between the neighboring countries. Pakistan has consistently accused Afghanistan of harboring militant groups led by the TTP on its soil, an allegation that Kabul firmly denies.

The cross-border violence had intensified dramatically from the previous Saturday, shortly after explosions rocked Kabul during the Taliban's foreign minister's unprecedented visit to India, Pakistan's longtime regional rival.

When the truce began on Wednesday, Islamabad stated it would last 48 hours, while Kabul maintained the ceasefire would remain in effect until Pakistan violated it.

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif accused Kabul of acting as "a proxy of India" and "plotting" against Pakistan. "From now on, demarches will no longer be framed as appeals for peace, and delegations will not be sent to Kabul," Asif wrote on X. "Wherever the source of terrorism is, it will have to pay a heavy price."

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid stated that their forces had been ordered not to attack unless Pakistani forces fired first. "If they do, then you have every right to defend your country," he said, relaying the message sent to troops during an interview with Afghan television channel Ariana.

Before the latest strikes, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reported 37 people killed and 425 wounded on the Afghan side of the border, calling on both sides to bring a lasting end to hostilities.

In Spin Boldak, which saw intense fighting, hundreds attended funerals on Thursday, including for children whose bodies were wrapped in white shrouds. "People have mixed feelings," said Nematullah, 42. "They fear that the fighting will resume, but they still leave their homes and go about their business."

By Friday, before the new strikes, residents had described scenes returning to normalcy. "Everything is fine, everything is open," Nani, 35, told AFP. "I'm not afraid, but everyone sees things differently. Some say they're going to send their children elsewhere as the situation isn't good, but I don't think anything will happen."

Kabul had also experienced a return to calm after new explosions occurred shortly before the ceasefire announcement on Wednesday. No group claimed responsibility for these blasts, though Pakistani security sources said they had conducted "precision strikes" against an armed group in the Afghan capital.