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Join on Telegram Rabat – Kabul and Islamabad have found themselves in the worst outbreak of tensions surrounding the border since the Taliban’s rise to power in 2021.
Afghanistan and Pakistan plan to resume peace talks on November 6 in Istanbul following the collapse of a potential agreement earlier in the week, agreeing to maintain the temporary ceasefire for another week.
Peace talks between Afghanistan and Islamabad mediated by Turkey last week resulted in no deal. These peace talks come amidst a temporary halting of violence established in Doha on October 19.
The failed peace talks aimed to reach lasting stability between the two nations after border clashes in the past month have killed dozens and injured hundreds. Both sides agreed to meet later this week to renew these negotiations – in hopes of moving beyond a ceasefire and into long-term stability.
Ultimately, the truce and peace talks are a result of a week-long border conflict in which supposedly 200 Afghan fighters and 58 Pakistani fighters were killed.
Disputes at the border and shifting of blame
The fights erupted after Kabul accused the Pakistani government of conducting airstrikes on Afghan territory in mid-October. The Taliban Defense Ministry subsequently and swiftly carried out attacks on Pakistani military posts along the border.
Islamabad has continuously accused the Taliban of enabling its Pakistani Taliban unit (TTP), allowing them to operate in Afghanistan and launch attacks into Pakistan. Kabul, however, denies these accusations, conversely insisting that Pakistan harbors terrorists.
Tensions remain high after the failed peace talks; Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif threatened on Wednesday of last week to “obliterate” the Taliban.
“Pakistan does not require to employ even a fraction of its full arsenal to completely obliterate the Taliban regime,” Asif posted on social media platform X.
The most recent tensions are a result of armed conflict between Afghan and Pakistani troops on the border which began October 11.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been tense and volatile since the Taliban’s return after US withdrawal in 2021. Ultimately, the issue comes down to the blame game: while Islamabad denies claims of harboring terrorists, Kabul, conversely, denies claims of enabling the TTP’s return – resulting in a stalemate.
