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Just as the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan seemed to ease up after a ceasefire announcement, the Taliban claimed late last night that Pakistani forces carried out airstrikes on its territory, killing at least 10 people. Three local Afghanistan cricketers were along among those killed, the country’s cricket board said, mourning the big loss.
The latest flare-up came hours after Pakistan and Afghanistan reportedly agreed to extend their 48-hour ceasefire until the conclusion of talks in Doha.
What is happening between Pakistan and Afghanistan?
It all started last week when Afghanistan’s Kabul was rocked by explosions overnight, an incident later blamed on Pakistan. The explosions coincided with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s first visit to India last week, further deepening the tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
While it didn’t claim responsibility for the explosion in Kabul, Pakistan did say that its security forces killed 30 militants in several raids on Pakistani Taliban hideouts in the country.
Later, overnight clashes erupted along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. While Pakistan accused Afghanistan of “playing a game of fire and blood”, the Taliban said that the clashes were “in retaliation”, accusing Pakistan of violating its sovereignty through the explosions in Kabul.
Meanwhile, Pakistan accused the Taliban regime of giving shelter to Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists, blaming the group for a series of attacks inside the country, a charge Kabul reportedly rejected.
48-hour ceasefire agreement, then a breach
After intense border clashes, during which the Taliban claimed to have killed at least 58 Pakistani soldiers, while Islamabad reported over 200 Afghan casualties — both sides agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire, with each nation stating that the initiative came from the other.
This truce agreement was reportedly extended later, until talks ended in Doha, Qatar. The truce extension came hours after Pakistan claimed an attack on a military camp in North Waziristan district, and said it took down six militants.
However, late on Friday night, Afghan officials said that Pakistan launched airstrikes in its southeastern territory, killing at least 10 people, including three local Afghan cricketers. The Paktika province and two other areas near the Pakistan border were among areas hit, according to a police spokesman in Afghanistan. A Pakistani strike also reportedly hit a civilian home in Khanadar village that caused casualties.
Afghanistan pulls out of tri-nation series with Pakistan
Following the killing of three local cricketers, Afghanistan’s cricket board announced that they are pulling out of the tri-nation series involving Pakistan and Sri Lanka, “as a gesture of respect to the victims”.
The cricket board said that the players were from Urgun District in Paktika Province, and were targeted in a “cowardly” attack by Pakistan. “The players had earlier traveled to Sharana, the capital of Paktika province, to participate in a friendly cricket match. After returning home to Urgun, they were targeted during a gathering,” the ACB said.
Several Afghan cricketers, including captain Rashid Khan, expressed remorse over the cricketers’ killing. “A tragedy that claimed the lives of women, children, and aspiring young cricketers who dreamed of representing their nation on the world stage,” Khan wrote on X.
“The massacre of innocent civilians and our domestic cricket players by these oppressors is a heinous, unforgivable crime,” wrote Afghan international cricketer Fazalhaq Farooqi on Facebook.
Another international player, Mohammad Nabi, added: “This incident is not only a tragedy for Paktika but for the entire Afghan cricket family and the nation as a whole.”
