Pakistan and Afghanistan's Taliban government are holding peace talks in China as cross-border fighting escalates, with both sides trading accusations. The negotiations, mediated by Beijing in Urumqi, aim to address Pakistan's demand for written assurances that Afghan soil will not be used for attacks, but success depends on Kabul's actions, according to Pakistan's Foreign Ministry. Pakistan's operations against the Pakistani Taliban along the border will continue despite the talks.
Cross-border clashes have resulted in civilian casualties on both sides. A police spokesperson for Kunar province in Afghanistan said Pakistan fired mortars into Afghan territory, killing two civilians and wounding six others, including four children. Afghan officials accused Pakistan's military of shelling the outskirts of Asadabad city in Kunar Province on Sunday, killing one person and wounding more than a dozen. In Pakistan, several people were injured when Afghan mortar shells landed in a village in Mohmand district. The U.N. mission in Afghanistan said 56 civilians have been killed inside Afghanistan so far. Pakistan dismissed the accusation of civilian casualties, saying it conducts operations against militants with care to avoid civilian casualties.
Military claims and counterclaims have intensified. Afghanistan's Taliban-run Defense Ministry said its forces destroyed numerous Pakistani military posts along the border, killing dozens of Pakistani soldiers. Afghanistan said its forces killed 150 Pakistani soldiers since the fighting began, while 28 Afghan troops were killed. Pakistan's Information Minister said Pakistan's military killed 527 Afghan soldiers. Pakistani state-run media said the country's air force and ground troops inflicted heavy losses in latest strikes targeting Afghan forces and the Pakistani Taliban.
Diplomatic efforts are underway amid ongoing tensions. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of providing a safe haven to militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan, especially the Pakistani Taliban, while Kabul denies the charge. The border region is largely inaccessible to the media, and conflicting claims cannot be independently verified. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered to mediate a new ceasefire in a call with Pakistan's Prime Minister, and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim spoke with Afghanistan's Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund. The two sides declared a temporary truce last week before Eid al-Fitr, following mediation by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar, but the truce expired earlier this week, and renewed fighting erupted on Wednesday.