Fragile Peace Shattered: Heavy Shelling Erupts On Afghanistan-Pakistan Border As Eid Truce Expires

KUNAR / ISLAMABAD — A precarious period of calm has collapsed into violence along the volatile border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. On Wednesday, heavy fighting reignited in the eastern Afghan province of Kunar just hours after a temporary Eid al-Fitr ceasefire expired, leading to civilian casualties and a fresh exchange of artillery fire between the two neighbors.

1. The Breakdown of the Eid Truce

The brief cessation of hostilities, which had been brokered ahead of the Muslim holiday to provide a respite for citizens, ended abruptly.

• Artillery Strikes: Ziaur Rahman Speenghar, a director in Afghanistan’s Kunar province, reported that Pakistani forces launched dozens of artillery shells into the Narai and Sarkano districts.
• Casualties: The strikes reportedly killed at least two civilians and left eight others wounded.
• Retaliation: In response, Afghan border forces reportedly returned fire. Taliban officials claim they successfully destroyed three Pakistani military posts and killed one person, though these claims have not yet been independently verified.

2. Conflicting Accounts and Blame

As is common in border skirmishes, both sides provided differing accounts of who pulled the trigger first.

• Afghan Stance: Kabul officials maintain they were responding to unprovoked Pakistani aggression that targeted civilian areas.
• Pakistan’s Reaction: While the central military command has not issued a formal statement, local officials in Pakistan’s northwest accused Afghan forces of initiating the exchange in multiple sectors simultaneously.

3. A Cycle of Retaliation

This latest spike in violence follows a week-long pause in fighting that was mediated by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar. That mediation was triggered by a devastating series of Pakistani airstrikes in early March.

• The Kabul Strike: The Afghan Taliban government alleged that a Pakistani strike hit a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, claiming a death toll of over 400 people—a figure Pakistan denied, stating they had targeted a militant ammunition depot.

4. The TTP Factor: Resumption of Terror Attacks

Adding to the complexity, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced on Wednesday that its own three-day Eid ceasefire has ended.

• Increased Attacks: The group, which is a designated terrorist organization by the UN and US, stated it is resuming active operations inside Pakistan.
• Cross-Border Friction: Islamabad continues to accuse the Afghan Taliban of providing a safe haven for TTP leaders. Pakistan has vowed that strikes inside Afghan territory will continue until the Taliban government ensures that Afghan soil is not being used to launch attacks against Pakistan.

As the smoke clears over the Kunar border, the failure of international mediation to secure a long-term peace suggests that the “tit-for-tat” military cycle between Kabul and Islamabad is far from over.

Conflict Tracker: Afghanistan-Pakistan Border (March 2026)