Afghan and Pakistani troops exchange fire along border, talks on lasting peace in Istanbul

Afghan and Pakistani troops briefly exchanged fire along their shared border today, both countries said, the same day as talks on a lasting peace resumed in Istanbul, Reuters reported.

Each country accused the other of initiating the exchange of fire near Spin Boldak, an Afghan border town in the south of their 2.600-kilometer-long shared border.

There were no reports of casualties, and spokespeople for both sides said they remained committed to the ceasefire and continued dialogue in Istanbul.

The armies of these two South Asian countries clashed last month, when dozens of people were killed in the worst violence since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.

Both sides signed a ceasefire agreement in Doha on October 19, but a second round of talks in Istanbul ended last week without a long-term deal due to disagreements over militant groups hostile to Pakistan operating inside Afghanistan.

"We hope that reason will prevail and peace will be restored in the region," Pakistani Defense Minister Hawa Asif said yesterday.

He said Islamabad was pursuing a "unique agenda" of persuading Afghanistan to rein in militants who attack Pakistani forces across the shared border, allegedly with the knowledge of the Taliban.

Two government sources said the Pakistani delegation is led by Pakistan's military intelligence chief, Asim Malik.

The Afghan delegation is led by intelligence chief Abdul Haq Wasiq, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told state broadcaster RTA.

Conversations aimed at preventing recurrence of violence

Pakistan and the Taliban have had warm relations for decades, but in recent years those relations have deteriorated sharply.

Islamabad accuses the Taliban of harboring the Pakistani Taliban, a separate militant group that has repeatedly clashed with the Pakistani military. Kabul denies this, saying it has no control over the group.

The October clashes began after Pakistani airstrikes earlier in the month on Kabul, the Afghan capital, and other locations, targeting the leader of the Pakistani Taliban.

The Afghan Taliban administration responded with attacks on Pakistani military positions along the entire border, which remains closed to trade.

While the ceasefire between the two countries' armies held until Thursday's exchange of fire, clashes between the Pakistani army and the Pakistani Taliban continued throughout the period, with multiple deaths on both sides.