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Pakistan and the Taliban have officially agreed to a ceasefire following a week of intense cross-border clashes.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: Last week, shit hit the fan between Pakistan and the Taliban-ruled Afghan government after a Pakistani airstrike on Kabul on October 9, allegedly targeting Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Noor Wali Mehsud. In response, Afghan forces launched retaliatory attacks on multiple Pakistani border posts on October 11, triggering the worst fighting between the two sides in years. Pakistan claimed its strikes were aimed at militants using Afghan soil to stage attacks inside Pakistan, while the Taliban accused Pakistan of violating Afghan sovereignty and killing civilians. The United Nations reported at least 37 civilian deaths in Afghanistan, while over 900 Pakistani security personnel have been killed by insurgent activity near the border this year, though the exact toll from last week’s clashes remains unconfirmed.

What’s going on now: In a notable development, both Pakistan and the Taliban-ruled Afghan government have agreed to an immediate ceasefire after days of deadly border violence, with Qatar and Turkiye stepping in to broker the deal during high-level negotiations in Doha. The ceasefire outlines a mutual commitment to end all hostile actions, refrain from supporting armed groups operating against either country, and avoid targeting civilians, security forces, or critical infrastructure. Both sides also vowed to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

As part of the agreement, follow-up talks are scheduled this week in Istanbul, where officials will discuss the formation of a concrete, verifiable monitoring mechanism to ensure the ceasefire holds. Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif called the truce “the first step in the right direction,” while Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid reaffirmed that Afghan territory would not be used for cross-border attacks.

Despite the diplomatic breakthrough, serious issues remain unresolved. The biggest challenge is TTP (the armed group accused of launching hundreds of attacks inside Pakistan this year and was not part of the Doha talks). Pakistan wants the Afghan Taliban to crack down on the TTP and prevent it from using Afghan territory as a launchpad for violence, but the Taliban denies providing any sanctuary and insists the TTP operates independently.