Pakistan says 48-hour ceasefire has been agreed with Afghanistan

Smoke rises from a hillside following overnight clashes between Afghan and Pakistani forces along the border (Saifullah Zahir/AP)

Pakistan said it agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire with Afghanistan following days of violence that have killed dozens of people on both sides of the border.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the ceasefire was at Afghanistan’s request.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Taliban government.

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harbouring armed groups, a charge rejected by the country’s Taliban rulers.

Pakistan is grappling with militant attacks that have increased since 2021 when the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan.

Smoke goes up after a shell exploded in a border area during clashes between Pakistan and Afghan forces, as seen from Pakistan side of the border near Chaman, Pakistan (H Achakzai/AP)

The escalation of tensions is likely to destabilise a region where groups, including the so-called Islamic State and al Qaida, are trying to establish a foothold and resurface.

The clashes stopped briefly on Sunday following appeals from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, but the fighting soon resumed.

Pakistan’s army said on Wednesday it had killed Afghan security forces and militants and destroyed tanks and military posts.

Pakistan forces repelled what officials called “unprovoked” assaults, but denied targeting civilians after the Taliban government said more than a dozen were killed and over 100 others were wounded when Pakistan targeted sites in a border area of Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government’s chief spokesman, said Pakistan used light and heavy weapons in assaults on Spin Boldak in Kandahar.

Afghan forces returned fire and killed several Pakistani soldiers, seized military posts and captured weapons including tanks, Mr Mujahid added.

Afghan servicemen guard along the border in the Zazai Maidan district of Khost province, Afghanistan (Saifullah Zahir/AP)

Pakistan’s army also targeted militant hideouts in the Afghan capital, two Pakistani security officials said.

People in the Pakistani border town of Chaman reported mortars falling near villages and some families were seen evacuating early on Wednesday.

“This fighting has been going on since early (Wednesday) morning, and people who live close to the border are leaving the area,” said Chaman resident Najibullah Khan, who urged the two countries to end the fighting to prevent further shelling.

Pakistan’s border regions have experienced violence since 1979 when it became a frontline state in the US-backed war against the Soviet Union.

“After the September 11 attacks, Pakistan’s tribal belt descended into chaos as the Afghan Taliban, al Qaida, and other groups operated from both sides of the border for attacks on Nato forces and Pakistani security forces,” said Abdullah Khan, a defence analyst and managing director of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.