Islamabad—Deadly clashes erupted along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier over the weekend, resulting in the deaths of five Pakistani soldiers and 25 militants, according to a Sunday statement from the Pakistani military. The violence, which occurred in Pakistan’s Kurram and North Waziristan districts, casts a shadow over ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions between the two nations.
The Pakistani military claimed the militants attempted to infiltrate Pakistani territory from Afghanistan on Friday and Saturday. This reported cross-border action, the military’s media wing told Reuters, raises serious concerns regarding the “intentions of the government in Afghanistan in regards to addressing the issue of terrorism emanating from its soil.”
The fighting comes as delegations from both countries meet in Istanbul for a second round of peace talks, mediated by Turkey and Qatar, aimed at establishing mechanisms to ensure the sustainability of a recent truce.
Just one day prior to the latest clash, Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, had expressed cautious optimism, noting that the earlier Doha-brokered ceasefire was holding and that he believed Afghanistan desired peace. However, he also issued a stark warning, stating that the failure to secure a comprehensive agreement in Istanbul would mean an “open war.”
The Taliban government in Afghanistan has yet to issue an official response to Islamabad’s latest allegations of cross-border infiltration. The group has consistently denied sheltering militants and maintains that Pakistan’s military operations and strikes violate Afghan sovereignty.
The current diplomatic effort in Istanbul follows a recent spate of border hostilities—the worst since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul—which was initially sparked by explosions in the Afghan capital. This escalation, which included retaliatory strikes by both sides, had resulted in numerous casualties before an agreement was reached in Doha last Sunday.