Overview
- A brief exchange near Spin Boldak/Chaman coincided with the third round of Istanbul talks, with at least five people killed on the Afghan side, according to a local hospital official cited by AFP.
- Both governments traded blame for who fired first, as the Taliban spokesman accused Pakistan of opening fire and Pakistan’s Information Ministry said Afghan forces initiated the incident.
- Delegations led by Pakistan’s ISI chief Lt. Gen. Asim Malik and Afghanistan’s intelligence chief Abdul Haq Wasiq are negotiating a mechanism to monitor and enforce the October 19 ceasefire.
- Pakistan says its focus is persuading Kabul to prevent Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan operations from Afghan soil, a charge the Taliban authorities deny.
- The ceasefire formally remains in place, but border crossings largely stay closed and the UN has documented heavy October casualties, including about 50 Afghan civilians killed and hundreds wounded.