Pakistan says it has agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire with Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan said Wednesday 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 harboring armed groups, a charge rejected by the Taliban rulers. Pakistan is grappling with militant attacks that have increased since 2021, when the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan.

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

Earlier Wednesday, before the ceasefire announcement, Pakistan said its forces killed dozens of Afghan security forces and militants in overnight fighting. The clashes had stopped briefly Sunday following appeals from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Pakistan forces said they had repelled “unprovoked” assaults, but denied targeting civilians after the Taliban government said more than a dozen were killed and over 100 others 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, Mujahid added.

Pakistan’s army also targeted militant hideouts in the Afghan capital, two Pakistani security officials said Wednesday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media.

People in the Pakistani border town of Chaman reported mortars falling near villages and some families were seen evacuating early 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 U.S.-backed war against the Soviet Union.

“After the Sept. 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 defense analyst and managing director of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.

As of Wednesday, key border crossings remain closed, officials said.