Kabul: Just hours before a rare ceasefire between Afghanistan and Pakistan was announced, twin drone strikes reportedly hit Kabul, escalating tensions and casting a shadow over the fragile truce. Afghanistan’s Taliban government accused Pakistan of carrying out the attacks on Wednesday, targeting a civilian house and a bustling market in the capital. Hospital reports indicated five fatalities and dozens of injuries, many inflicted by shrapnel, blunt force trauma, and burns.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government’s chief spokesman, initially described the incident as an oil tanker explosion, but subsequent statements from local police and doctors confirmed it was a drone strike. Khalid Zadran, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, confirmed the timing and locations of the attacks but did not provide casualty figures.
The strikes occurred amid a backdrop of escalating cross-border violence that began on October 10. Both Islamabad and Kabul have accused each other of provoking attacks, with each side retaliating against perceived threats. Pakistani officials, speaking anonymously, asserted that their forces targeted militant hideouts in response to armed provocations.
The announcement of a truce on Wednesday, welcomed by the United Nations, temporarily halted what were described as the deadliest clashes between the neighbors since 2021, when the Taliban returned to power following the U.S. and NATO withdrawal. Key border crossings, however, remained closed on Thursday, and the situation remained tense.
The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported that cross-border clashes this week had claimed the lives of 37 civilians and injured 425 across Paktya, Paktika, Kunar, Khost, Kandahar, and Helmand provinces. UNAMA stressed the urgent need for both nations to establish a lasting cessation of hostilities to protect civilians and prevent further loss of life. Earlier clashes had already caused at least 16 additional civilian casualties in Afghan provinces.
Pakistan has yet to release civilian casualty figures from its side of the border. Islamabad maintains that Afghanistan harbors militants responsible for cross-border attacks, a charge firmly rejected by the Taliban. Pakistani security forces reported killing dozens of militants on Thursday in Mohmand district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who were attempting to cross the border from Afghanistan.
The situation underscores the fragility of peace in the region, where militant groups, including the Islamic State and al-Qaida, continue to exploit instability. The two countries share the 2,611-kilometer Durand Line, a border Afghanistan has never formally recognized, and disputes over it have fueled repeated cycles of violence.
As the dust settles on Wednesday’s drone strikes, the Taliban and Pakistan face the urgent challenge of transforming a temporary truce into a durable peace one that can prevent further civilian suffering and stabilize a region long scarred by conflict.