Hours after Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to extend their 48-hour ceasefire, the Taliban accused Islamabad of carrying out airstrikes in several districts of Paktika province, which lies along the Durand Line, media reports said.
According to TOLOnews, the strikes targeted residential areas in the Argun and Bermal districts near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. While local sources told the channel that there have been damages to multiple houses, no casualties have been confirmed so far.
The alleged strikes came on the same day a Pakistani delegation arrived in Doha, the capital of Qatar, for peace talks with Afghan officials. The Afghan delegation is expected to join the discussions on Saturday, according to Reuters.
Earlier in the day, at least seven Pakistani soldiers were killed and 13 others injured in a “coordinated suicide attack” on a military camp in North Waziristan, Pakistani security officials said.
The attack occurred just hours before the planned dialogue between Islamabad and Kabul.
According to reports, the assault began when a militant rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the boundary wall of the Khaddi military camp in Mir Ali.
Two other attackers then attempted to storm the facility but were shot dead by security forces.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying its Khalid bin Waleed suicide unit and Tehreek Taliban Gulbahadar group jointly carried it out.
The fresh escalation has raised concerns over the fragility of the ceasefire agreement between the two sides, which was extended after days of border clashes and diplomatic tensions.
