Afghanistan and Pakistan resume talks after weekend clashes kill 30

Kabul urges dialogue as Islamabad warns of war if talks collapse

A building in Kabul damaged in a strike reportedly carried out by Pakistan. EPA

Afghanistan and Pakistan entered a third day of negotiations in Istanbul on Monday to secure a lasting ceasefire, after weekend clashes killed 30.

Representatives of the neighbouring countries initially agreed to a truce in Doha, on October 19, after dozens of people were killed in days of fighting along their border. It was the worst such violence since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.

But at the weekend, five Pakistani soldiers and 25 militants died in renewed clashes near the frontier, Pakistan's military said.

Militants tried to cross over from Afghanistan on Friday and Saturday in Kurram and North Waziristan districts, rugged areas along Pakistan's north-western frontier, the military said.

It described the attackers as members of Fitna al Khwarij, a term it uses for groups it says are inspired by militant ideology and backed by “foreign sponsors”. Afghanistan did not comment on the violence.

The continuing second round of talks aims to hammer out a long-term peace deal.

Khawaja Asif, Pakistan's Defence Minister, said a truce was largely holding and that he believed Afghanistan wanted peace, Reuters reported. But he warned that failure to reach an agreement in Istanbul would mean “open war”.

Troops outside a hospital where people wounded in cross-border violence are being treated in Hangu, Pakistan. EPA

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Afghan state broadcaster RTA that, “Afghanistan supports dialogue and believes that problems and issues can be resolved through dialogue”.

Late on Sunday, US President Donald Trump repeated an offer to mediate. “I'll get that solved very quickly, I know them both,” he said in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of a regional summit. “I have no doubt we are going to get that done quickly.”

Fighting first erupted this month after Pakistan demanded the Taliban rein in militants it says operate from Afghan sanctuaries, prompting heavy exchange of fire and Pakistani air strikes.

Pakistan accuses the Taliban of allowing the Pakistani Taliban to operate with impunity inside Afghanistan, from where it launches attacks on Pakistani security forces. Kabul denies this.