'Projectiles fired, civilian areas targeted': Pakistan breaches truce, says Kabul amid peace talks

Pakistan fired into Afghanistan, breaking the ceasefire, as officials are in Istanbul to resume discussions with Taliban representatives, AFP reported late Thursday evening citing military source and witnesses.

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"Pakistan used light and heavy weapons and targeted civilian areas," AFP quoted the Afghan military source saying.



"We have not retaliated yet, out of respect for the ongoing negotiations" in Istanbul, said the the source.

Pakistan has acknowledged the existence of an agreement with the United States permitting the use of drones within its territory, TOLO news had reported, citing Afghan and diplomatic sources. The admission was made during the last round of Pakistan-Afghanistan peace talks held in Turkey.

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After the talks, joint statement was released by the Turkish foreign ministry confirming a ceasefire between the two. It said that “all parties have agreed on continuation of ceasefire” and “to put in place a monitoring and verification mechanism that will ensure maintenance of peace and impose a penalty on the violating party”, Dawn reported.

Following the skirmishes between October 11 and 15, Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have held two rounds of talks, first in Doha and later in Istanbul, but have yet to reach a final agreement.

Talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban come after weeks of shuttle diplomacy, prompted by deadly border clashes last month that drove relations between the two neighbours to their lowest point since the Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021.

The tensions erupted on the night of October 11, when militants launched an attack on Pakistan from across the border in Afghanistan. The incident followed Taliban claims that Pakistan had carried out airstrikes inside Afghan territory, an accusation Islamabad has neither confirmed nor denied.

Islamabad has consistently urged the Taliban to prevent militant groups from using Afghan soil to launch attacks on Pakistan, a charge the Taliban firmly reject.