Fighting resumes between Pakistan and Afghanistan after temporary ceasefire ends

Key Points:

• Renewed fighting broke out along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border after a temporary ceasefire expired, resulting in at least two civilian deaths and multiple injuries in eastern Afghanistan, according to Afghan Taliban officials.
• Pakistani forces reportedly fired artillery shells into Afghan districts, prompting Afghan border forces to retaliate, with claims of destroying Pakistani military posts; these claims remain unverified and Pakistan has not commented officially.
• The ceasefire had been established ahead of Eid al-Fitr following Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan, which Pakistan said targeted an ammunition depot, but Afghan Taliban claimed struck a drug rehabilitation hospital, causing significant civilian casualties.
• The Pakistani Taliban (TTP) announced the resumption of attacks inside Pakistan after their own Eid ceasefire, continuing a pattern of increased violence since the Afghan Taliban took power in 2021; Pakistan accuses Kabul of harboring TTP militants, a charge denied by Afghanistan.
• Pakistan has pledged to continue operations against TTP militants inside Afghanistan until the Afghan Taliban government commits to preventing cross-border attacks from its territory.