Afghanistan Peace CampaignAveek Banerjee
News18.com
March 26, 2026
The latest attacks came after Pakistan and Afghanistan had announced a “temporary pause” in hostilities amid long-standing tensions between the two neighbours.
Pakistan on Thursday resumed attacks against Afghanistan after a temporary pause, according to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, dashing hopes of a ceasefire after a brief pause was announced during the festival of Eid al-Fitr. At least two civilians were killed and several others were injured.
Ziaur Rahman Speenghar, a director at the information and culture department in Afghanistan’s Kunar province, said Pakistani forces fired dozens of artillery shells into the Narai and Sarkano districts, killing two civilians and wounding eight others after the ceasefire expired, reported The Associated Press.
He said Afghan border forces returned fire, claiming to have destroyed three Pakistani military posts and killed one person, although these claims have not been independently verified. However, a local Pakistani official in the northwest accused Afghan forces of initiating the exchange of fire in multiple areas.
Last week, Pakistan and Afghanistan had announced a “temporary pause” in hostilities to mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramzan at the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said at a briefing that the pause had concluded between March 23 and 24, adding that Pakistan’s operations would continue until the objectives are achieved, and until the Afghan Taliban regime reviewed what he called its “misplaced priority of supporting terrorist infrastructures”.
The pause followed Pakistani strikes that the Afghan Taliban government said hit a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, killing more than 400 people. Pakistan rejected the Taliban’s statements about the strike, saying it had “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure”.
This airstrike marked a significant escalation in the long-standing tensions between the two neighbours, which have seen cross-border shelling, retaliatory air operations, and mutual accusations over militant sanctuaries since the conflict intensified in late 2025.
The Pakistani military has struck Kabul several times in recent weeks, as part of a conflict sparked by claims that the Taliban government has harboured militant groups that have carried out attacks across the border.