Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire after several days of deadly cross-border fighting. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry made the announcement yesterday. The agreement was reached between the two countries during talks in Doha yesterday mediated by Qatar and Turkiye.

In a statement, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, during the negotiations, both sides agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to hold follow-up meetings for the creation of mechanisms aimed at ensuring lasting peace and stability between the two countries. 

The Pakistani delegation included Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and intelligence chief General Asim Malik while Afghanistan was represented by Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob.

Kabul had earlier accused Islamabad of violating a 48-hour ceasefire that had temporarily halted nearly a week of intense fighting, during which dozens of soldiers and civilians were killed on both sides. The renewed hostilities included recent Pakistani airstrikes  across the 2,600-kilometre disputed frontier that killed at least 17 people including three Afghan cricketers  Paktika province of Afghanistan, following the collapse of the brief truce.