Temporary Ceasefire Announced Between Pakistan and Afghanistan Amid Deadly Conflict

A brief pause in fighting has been declared by both countries, following a deadly airstrike in Kabul that killed hundreds of people

Background to the Conflict

Pakistan and Afghanistan have announced a temporary pause in their escalating fighting, two days after a deadly airstrike in the Afghan capital, Kabul, killed hundreds of people at a drug rehabilitation hospital. The strike, which occurred on Monday, was blamed by Kabul on Islamabad, with Afghan officials putting the death toll at 408 people and 265 wounded. However, the toll could not be independently verified. Pakistan has rejected Afghanistan's accusation, insisting its strikes in Kabul and eastern Afghanistan on Monday had been against military facilities.

The Temporary Ceasefire

The announcements of a temporary ceasefire came shortly after Afghan authorities held a mass funeral in Kabul for some of the victims killed in Monday's strike. Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the suspension of strikes on Afghanistan would take effect at midnight Wednesday and remain in place until midnight Monday. "Pakistan offers this gesture in good faith and in keeping with the Islamic norms," Tarar said in a statement. However, he warned that "in case of any cross-border attack, drone attack or any terrorist incident inside Pakistan," the operations will immediately resume with renewed intensity.

Reaction from Afghanistan

Afghanistan's government spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, did not specify a time frame for the pause on the Afghan side. But he said that his country "will respond courageously to any aggression in the event of a threat." The temporary ceasefire was announced at the request of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar, which have been trying to mediate a cessation of hostilities since Afghanistan and Pakistan renewed cross-border fighting in February. The three countries had also been involved in helping broker a ceasefire between the two in October.

Humanitarian Impact

The conflict has seen repeated cross-border clashes as well as airstrikes inside Afghanistan, including several in the capital, despite international calls for a ceasefire. The 2,000-bed Omid hospital, which was hit in the strike, was a key facility in the Taliban government's efforts to combat a significant drug addiction problem in the country. Afghanistan's vast poppy fields have been the source of much of the world's heroin, which in combination with decades of conflict and widespread poverty has fueled drug addiction. The site of the hospital, near Kabul's international airport, is adjacent to a former NATO military base, Camp Phoenix, where U.S. forces used to train the Afghan National Army. The strike caused an intense fire at the hospital, with footage from local television showing rescue crews combing through the wreckage with flashlights late into the night as firefighters struggled to extinguish the blaze.

Top Stories

Recent Articles

More Articles