Taliban and Pakistan agree to ceasefire after days of deadly clashes

Pakistan and the Taliban have agreed to an "immediate ceasefire" after a week of deadly clashes along their 1,600-mile border. The news comes as the world's top diplomats gathered in Doha for talks aimed at establishing peace in Afghanistan.

The agreement was brokered by Qatar's foreign ministry alongside Turkey, which stated that both sides had agreed on establishing "mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability". Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the Taliban, said ending "hostile actions" was "important", while Pakistan's Foreign Minister called the deal the "first step in the right direction".

However, clashes have continued despite this agreement. The worst fighting since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 has resulted in at least 17 Afghan civilians killed and hundreds more wounded.

Rumours had circulated that the blasts in Kabul were a targeted attack on Noor Wali Mehsud, the leader of Pakistan's Taliban. In response, the group released an unverified voice note from Mehsud saying he was still alive. This led to cross-border strikes by Afghan troops and retaliatory drone strikes by Pakistan.

Under the new agreement, the Taliban said it would not "support groups carrying out attacks against the Government of Pakistan", while both sides agreed to refrain from targeting each other's security forces, civilians or critical infrastructure.

Pakistan has long accused the Taliban of harbouring armed groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan. However, this is denied by the group.

The agreement marks a significant shift in relations between the two countries, which had deteriorated after Islamabad accused the Taliban of providing a safe haven to the Pakistan Taliban. This group has carried out at least 600 attacks on Pakistani forces over the past year, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

A temporary truce was declared last week but cross-border strikes continued until now. Under the agreement, talks will be held in Istanbul for further discussions next week.

im not sure if this ceasefire is going to stick ... i mean, both sides agreed on mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability, which sounds great, but we all know how fragile those things can be . 17 afghan civilians killed already? that's just devastating . and what about the Pakistan Taliban group that's been carrying out attacks against pakistan? didn't they get any guarantees from the taliban that they'd stop? .

and have you seen the layout of this article? it's all over the place . i mean, how many sections can one article need? . just kidding, sort of . seriously though, as a design nerd, i'm more interested in the structural elements of this news story than the actual news itself . what do you think about the use of images and graphics in journalism? should they be used to break up text or overwhelm us with too much info?

man, i dont know about this ceasefire thingy... 17 afghan civilians killed is still too much! and pakistan's been saying the taliban was harbouring armed groups that do attacks in pakistan, so why are they making concessions now? it just seems like a game of cat & mouse to me. also, i dont think its fair that the taliban got to say if noor wali mehsud is still alive or not... that's some pretty sketchy stuff right there!

I mean, think about it... 2025 is already seeing a lot of conflicts and tensions between countries in the region. Like, have you seen the latest stats on drone strikes? Over 500 already this year, just alone in Pakistan! And now we're hearing that the Taliban has agreed to an "immediate ceasefire"... but at what cost? I mean, it's not like they haven't had enough chances to talk things through already. Like, have you seen the timeline of conflicts since 2021? It's been non-stop. And now we're only seeing a temporary truce? What's the real motive here? Did you know that Pakistan has lost over 5,000 soldiers and civilians to attacks by the Taliban since 2018? That's like, a whole army of people gone in just 3 years. The numbers are insane!

I'm glad to see some progress in the fragile peace talks between Pakistan and the Taliban . A ceasefire is a huge step forward, especially after a week of intense fighting that's left many innocent civilians dead or injured . It's good that Qatar and Turkey have stepped in as mediators to help both sides find common ground .

I'm not sure what to make of all the back-and-forth between the two groups . On one hand, it's great that they've agreed on some key principles, like not targeting each other's security forces or civilians . But on the other hand, it seems like there are still a lot of unanswered questions about what exactly this ceasefire entails .

I'm also curious to see how this will play out in practice . Will both sides be able to stick to their word and avoid any further cross-border clashes? Only time will tell . But for now, let's just hope that this agreement can lead to a more stable and peaceful future for everyone involved .

I'm not sure how believable this ceasefire is gonna hold lol... Pakistan and Taliban agreeing on a peace deal after all that fighting feels like a big sigh of relief . It's good that diplomats from Qatar, Turkey, and other countries are trying to broker some sort of lasting peace in Afghanistan, but we gotta see more concrete actions before things get legit . The worst part is those civilians getting hurt... 17+ lives lost already . I guess this agreement could be a good first step towards making things better, but let's keep our fingers crossed that it doesn't all fall apart again .

I'm telling you, this ceasefire is a total game-changer! It's been a bloody mess between Pakistan and the Taliban for ages, and I'm glad to see some movement finally happening. But let's not get ahead of ourselves - we still have to wait and see if both sides actually follow through on their promises

The thing that really caught my eye was when the Taliban said they wouldn't support groups carrying out attacks against the Government of Pakistan. That's a pretty big concession, especially considering how much Pakistan has been going on about this stuff for years. I'm hoping it's not just some empty words, but a genuine attempt to move forward.

Of course, there are still gonna be some bumps along the way . The clashes that kept happening despite the ceasefire talks? Yeah, those were pretty concerning. But at least now we're having real conversations about how to consolidate lasting peace and stability - it's a start!

OMG, can you believe it? Pakistan and the Taliban are finally talking again after all these years! I remember back in my day, we used to think that the Taliban was just a bunch of radical extremists, but I guess they're trying to play nice now. It's about time, though - all this cross-border violence has been super scary for innocent civilians like those 17 Afghan civilians who got killed.

So, it seems like they've agreed on not targeting each other's security forces and stuff, which is a good start, right? But we'll have to wait and see if they can actually stick to it. I mean, rumors of targeted attacks are still circulating... fingers crossed that it doesn't all fall apart.

It's interesting that Pakistan has been accusing the Taliban of harbouring armed groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan - it just goes to show how complicated these relationships can be! Maybe this agreement is the first step towards healing old wounds and finding a more peaceful way forward? We'll have to keep an eye on things, I suppose.

I'm not sure if this ceasefire is a permanent fix or just another pause button ... still got that Afghanistan situation in the back of my mind, you know? Like, can we really trust the Taliban to keep their word? The fact that there's been fighting despite the agreement already has me on edge . I mean, Pakistan and the Taliban have a history of bickering over this stuff... it's like they're playing some twisted game of "diplomacy dodgeball" . And what about the Pakistani Taliban group? Are they just going to sit back and let everyone else do all the work while they carry out attacks on their own side? The world is watching, though - fingers crossed this truce actually sticks and we can see some real progress next week in Istanbul

I don't know how many more lives have to be lost before they can sit down and talk things out . It's like, yeah, let's agree on a ceasefire, but what about the innocent people caught in the middle? Like, I get that Pakistan and Afghanistan have been at odds for ages, but 17 civilians already dead is just heartbreaking .

And what about the unverified voice note from Noor Wali Mehsud that was released to prove he's still alive? That just seemed like a really dodgy move . I mean, if it was really him talking on that recording, why did they need to do that?

I'm all for trying to find peace in the region, but we need to be doing better than this temporary truce thing . It's like they're just putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound . We should be working towards something more concrete, like addressing the root causes of the conflict and finding sustainable solutions.

Anyway, I guess it's a start or whatever . Let's just hope that the talks in Istanbul next week actually lead to some real progress .

omg can u believe this ? Pakistan and Taliban finally agreed on a ceasefire after all that drama ... like, its good that ppl are talkin and stuff but at the same time, 17 afghan civilians already lost their lives & hundreds more injured . and its still not clear if the ceasefire is really holding .

i feel bad for noor wali mehsud, the leader of pakistan's taliban ... he was like "i'm alive" in that voice note thing but now ppl are all shook up . anyhooz, fingers crossed that this ceasefire works out and they can finally work on those peace talks

man this whole situation is super crazy i mean pakistan and the taliban have been at war for years and its about time they agreed on a ceasefire but 17 afghan civilians dead is just heartbreaking and what's with all these cross border strikes? it feels like they're trying to one up each other noor wali mehsud was already supposed to be in hiding after that targeted attack on him lol anyway, i guess this agreement marks a new era for both countries lets hope they can keep the peace and work together to make afghanistan stable again

this is like a never ending story of violence between Pakistan and Afghanistan... can't they just get along? i mean i get it, they've got issues with each other, but 17 civilians dead and hundreds more wounded? that's heartbreaking . and now they're agreeing to an "immediate ceasefire" which sounds good on paper but what if it doesn't hold? will we see more of this back and forth or are they finally starting to talk sense into each other?

Ugh, can you believe this? A ceasefire after a week of clashes... it's like they're just trying to delay the inevitable . I mean, on one hand, it's great that Pakistan and the Taliban are talking, but on the other hand, at least 17 Afghan civilians have died in this fighting . It's like, what's the point of all these diplomatic efforts if not even a fraction of the violence is being addressed?

And don't even get me started on the Pakistan Taliban. They're just another group with their own agenda, and now they're gonna be "supported" by the Taliban? No thanks . I need to see some real progress here, not just a bunch of words on paper.

I guess it's good that there are talks happening in Istanbul next week, but what's the hurry? Can't we take our time and get this right for once?

idk what's going on with these negotiations... it feels like they're just playing a game of chess with lives pakistan and afghanistan have been beefing for ages, but suddenly they agree on a ceasefire? i'm not buying it . what's in it for the taliban? are they gonna get away with all these attacks on pakistani forces? the fact that they're talking about "lasting peace and stability" sounds like just a bunch of empty promises . i'm glad some civilians got out alive tho , but 17 is still way too many . can we really trust these agreements now?

I'm kinda glad Pakistan and Taliban agreed on a ceasefire ... but 17 Afghan civilians already dead? It's just so senseless. What's the point of having a peace process if it's just gonna lead to more deaths? And those rumors about Noor Wali Mehsud being targeted? That's just crazy . I mean, I get that both sides are trying to protect their own interests, but can't they just find a way to work together peacefully instead of resorting to violence? It's gonna be interesting to see how this all plays out in Istanbul... fingers crossed it leads to real progress .