Afghanistan and Pakistan will resume peace talks in Istanbul, reports “Reuters“. The decision comes just a day after Islamabad announced that the previous round of talks had ended without results, reports News.bg.
According to two sources cited by the agency, the two countries have agreed to resume dialogue at the insistence of Turkey, which is hosting the process. Negotiation teams are already in Istanbul, aiming to prevent new armed incidents along the border, where dozens of people have died this month.
A Pakistani security official said Islamabad would insist that Afghanistan take concrete action against militants using Afghan territory as a safe haven to prepare attacks on Pakistan.
Pakistan accuses the Taliban government in Kabul of harboring fighters from the Pakistani Taliban - a separate group hostile to Islamabad. Kabul, however, rejects the accusations, saying it has no control over the actions of this organization.
The border clashes in October were among the bloodiest since 2021 - the year the Taliban took power in Afghanistan. The violence escalated after Pakistani airstrikes hit targets in Kabul and other areas targeting the leader of the Pakistani Taliban. In response, Taliban forces have attacked Pakistani military posts along the 2,600-kilometer border, which currently remains closed.
Despite a temporary ceasefire reached in Doha on October 19, subsequent talks in Istanbul brokered by Turkey and Qatar have failed to produce any significant progress. Clashes between Pakistani forces and the Pakistani Taliban have continued even during the ceasefire, with multiple casualties reported on both sides again on Sunday and Wednesday.