Particle.news
Download on the App Store
60 ARTICLES
·
yesterday

Pakistan–Afghanistan Truce Talks Drag Into Third Day After New Border Clashes

Mediators push for a verifiable truce focused on enforceable anti‑terror commitments.

Local journalists gather for an online press conference with Afghan Defence Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob after he signed a ceasefire agreement with his Pakistani counterpart Khawaja Asif in Qatar, at the Government Media Center in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025.(AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai)
A Taliban security personnel stands guard along a road near the Ghulam Khan zero-point border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan in Gurbuz district in the southeast of Khost province on October 20, 2025.
We have the option, if no agreement takes place, we have an open war with them, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said.
Image

Overview

  • Delegations reconvened in Istanbul with no breakthrough reported, as Pakistani sources described the process as stalled and Taliban representatives said discussions were continuing in a friendly setting.
  • Pakistan presented a detailed counterterrorism plan demanding verifiable action against the TTP and other groups, while the Afghan side proposed halting Pakistani cross‑border strikes and signaled openness to a monitoring mechanism.
  • Pakistan’s military said it repelled two infiltration attempts in Kurram and North Waziristan, reporting five soldiers and 25 militants killed, and questioned Kabul’s intent; Taliban authorities had not commented on the incidents.
  • Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said the ceasefire remains in place but warned that failure in Istanbul could lead to “open war.”
  • Turkey and Qatar are mediating the talks, President Donald Trump renewed an offer to help, and key border crossings remain closed for a second week, leaving trucks stranded and trade disrupted.