‘Truce broken’: Taliban official claims Pakistani strikes hit Afghanistan, three locations bombed

A senior Taliban officer on Friday claimed that Pakistan carried out strikes in a border area of Afghanistan, breaking the ceasefire. The official claimed that Pakistan bombed three locations in Paktika, according to news agency AFP.

This comes hours after the 48-hour ceasefire between the two countries expired. The truce began on Wednesday and came after nearly a week of bloody border clashes that killed dozens of troops and civilians on both sides.

Pakistan-Afghanistan clash: How did it unfold?

On Saturday, explosions rocked Afghanistan's capital Kabul, just as Taliban's foreign minister started his official visit to India. After the explosions, the violence escalated dramatically. The Taliban launched an offensive along parts of its southern border with Pakistan, prompting Islamabad to vow a strong response of its own.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said 37 people were killed and 425 wounded on the Afghan side of the border, calling on both sides to bring a lasting end to hostilities.

A Temporary Truce

On Wednesday, a truce was announced and Pakistan indicated that it would last until Friday evening -- without saying what would happen afterwards.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that for the truce to endure, the ball was "in the court" of the Taliban government.

“If in 48 hours they want to resolve the issues and address our genuine demands, then we are ready for them,” Sharif told his cabinet.

Pakistani foreign office spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan also said at a media briefing it was necessary to “wait for 48 hours” to “see if the ceasefire is held,” without providing further details.

Why are Pakistan and Afghanistan fighting?

At the heart of the tensions are security issues with Pakistan accusing Afghanistan of harbouring militant groups led by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) - the Pakistani Taliban - on its soil. Kabul, however, denies the claim.