Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, said that both Afghanistan and Pakistan made “useful” progress in talks hosted by China; his comments came after he met with the Chinese ambassador to Kabul (Reuters)
China Says Afghanistan–Pakistan Talks Advancing Amid Ongoing Tensions
China said negotiations between Afghanistan and Pakistan are progressing, as China continues mediation efforts to ease their worst conflict since the Taliban’s 2021 return to power; both sides have signaled willingness to resume talks, with discussions reportedly taking place in Urumqi, though tensions persist over Pakistan’s accusations that Kabul is harboring militant groups (Reuters)
Pakistan Confirms China-Hosted Talks With Taliban
Pakistan confirmed it is holding peace talks with Taliban officials in China, as Beijing seeks to broker a ceasefire after weeks of deadly clashes disrupting trade and travel. A mid-level Afghan delegation traveled to Urumqi for the negotiations, with Kabul emphasizing diplomacy based on mutual respect and non-interference as a path toward lasting solutions (AP)
Afghanistan and Pakistan Hold China-Brokered Talks
Mid-level foreign and defense ministry delegates from both countries convened in the Chinese city of Urumqi to negotiate an end to fighting that has caused heavy casualties on both sides since Pakistan launched air strikes in late February; the talks coincide with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s visit to Beijing, where he is also seeking Chinese backing for a broader effort to broker a U.S.-Iran peace deal (Reuters)
Afghanistan, Pakistan Exchange Heavy Fire
Afghanistan and Pakistan exchanged heavy artillery fire in the border region of Kunar province and Pakistan’s Bajur district, killing at least one person and wounding sixteen others, according to Taliban officials; Pakistan denied it targeted civilians and called the Taliban’s account exaggerated (Reuters)
Pakistan, Afghanistan Exchange Fire After Eid Ceasefire Expires
Afghan officials said Pakistani forces shelled eastern Afghanistan after the temporary Eid ceasefire expired, killing two civilians and wounding eight in Kunar province; Pakistan accused Afghan forces of initiating the clashes, while Afghan border forces said they returned fire and destroyed three Pakistani posts, claims that could not be independently verified (AP)
Afghanistan Releases U.S. Prisoner
U.S. citizen Dennis Coyle, an academic who was detained by the Taliban in January 2025, has been released, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced; Rubio thanked Qatar and the United Arab Emirates for their support in the matter and said Washington was still seeking the release of multiple other Americans detained in Afghanistan (CNN;State)
United Nations Places Rehab Center Bombing Death Toll at 143
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has reported that 143 people were killed in the bombing of a rehab center in Kabul; the Afghan Taliban government had previously stated that over 400 were killed and 265 were injured in the airstrike conducted by Pakistan (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Pakistan announced a temporary pause in strikes at the request of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday (AP)
Strike on Afghan Health Center
Afghanistan’s Taliban government said a Pakistani attack killed at least four hundred people at a Kabul drug rehabilitation center (FT)
The numbers were disputed: the BBC reported at least one hundred deaths at the medical facility, citing unnamed sources from Kabul’s department of forensic medicine (BBC)
Pakistan’s minister of information acknowledged its military carried out strikes in Afghanistan but claimed they were aimed only at military targets, including an ammunition depot (Pakistan Information Ministry)
The latest round of fighting between the two countries is in its third week (AP)
Government Spokesperson Confirms Pakistani Strikes
Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the Afghan government, confirmed that Pakistan conducted strikes in Kandahar, noting that there were no casualties caused by the attacks (Reuters)
Afghanistan Accuses Pakistan of Deadly Airstrikes, Retaliates
Afghan authorities said Pakistani strikes hit residential areas in Kabul and other locations, killing civilians and damaging infrastructure, and warned the attacks would not go unanswered; later the same day, Afghanistan’s defense ministry said its air force launched drone strikes on a military facility near Islamabad in retaliation (Reuters)
Taliban Claims Destruction of Pakistani Military Posts Along Border
Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry said its forces destroyed several Pakistani military posts along the border across multiple provinces, including Nangarhar and Khost; the ministry also claimed the attacks killed dozens of Pakistani soldiers, though the claim has not been independently verified (AP)
Clashes Continue as Turkey Offers to Mediate
Clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan continued as residents reported heavy shelling and explosions; officials say the conflict has displaced around 1,500 Afghan families (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan offered to mediate and reestablish a ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan; Turkey and Qatar had last brokered a ceasefire between the two nations in October, when the two neighbors were also close to a war (AP)
Border Clashes with Pakistani Troops Continue
Pakistani and Afghan troops clashed along several points of the border region as Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced that air strikes were conducted on Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan (Reuters)
Satellite images reviewed by the New York Times confirm that the strikes were successful (NYT)
Officials in Islamabad stated that the clashes killed sixty-seven Afghan troops and one Pakistani soldier; however, Kabul rejects the claims (AP)
The continued clashes come as the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan urges a halt in the cross-border fighting, as preliminary figures show that at least forty-two civilians were killed and over a hundred injured in Afghanistan; the casualties were caused by both indirect fire in the border region and airstrikes in Paktika and Nangahar provinces (UNAMA)
Afghanistan-Pakistan Clashes Enter Fifth Day
As fighting between the two nations entered its fifth day, both Afghanistan and Pakistan reported that their respective militaries targeted each other’s posts; however, the intensity of the clashes appeared to be lower than in previous days (Reuters)
Taliban Says Forces Engaged in Air Defense Against Pakistan
Taliban administration spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated that Afghan forces engaged in air defense attacks against Pakistani aircraft in Kabul; the statement comes amid continued escalations between the two nations (Reuters)
Afghan officials also reported that Pakistan attempted to conduct airstrikes on Bagram Air Base, but Afghan anti-aircraft missiles repelled the missiles (NYT)
Pakistan Continues Airstrikes in Afghanistan
Pakistan’s military struck additional military installations in Afghanistan in an overnight operation; Pakistan also claimed that over 330 Afghan troops were killed since fighting erupted on Thursday, though Afghanistan rejects the claims (AP)
Pakistan-Taliban Tensions Escalate Into “Open War”
Pakistan carried out overnight air-to-ground missile strikes on Taliban government military facilities in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia provinces, describing the escalation as “open war” amid retaliatory cross-border attacks between the two nations (Reuters)
The Afghan Taliban said it had successfully conducted drone strikes against military targets in Pakistan, though Pakistani officials reported that the drones were intercepted with no casualties (Reuters)
Russia, the only country to recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan, called on Afghanistan and Pakistan to immediately cease cross-border attacks and resolve their disputes through diplomatic channels (Reuters)
Pakistan and Afghan Border Forces Clash
Pakistani and Afghan forces exchanged fire along the border amid escalating tensions; Mosharraf Sharif, spokesman for Pakistan’s Prime Minister, stated that Afghan Taliban authorities fired unprovoked, while Afghan officials stated that Pakistani forces opened fire and Afghan troops responded (Reuters)
United Nations Says At Least Thirteen Civilians Killed in Pakistan Strikes
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan stated that it received credible reports that Pakistani airstrikes killed thirteen civilians and injured seven more in Nangahar Province; Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had reported that dozens were wounded or killed in the strikes, though this count was not verifiable (Reuters)
Pakistan Kills Seventy Militants
Pakistan’s Deputy Interior Minister, Talal Chaudry, stated that Pakistan’s military killed seventy militants in strikes along Afghanistan’s border; Chaudry did not provide evidence for his claim (AP)
Afghan Taliban Releases Three Pakistani Soldiers
The Afghan Taliban announced that it released three Pakistani soldiers captured during border clashes in October; the move was mediated by Saudi Arabia amid tensions between the two nations (Reuters)
Implementation Status of Peace Accord Commitments
The United Nations warned that current relief systems in Afghanistan are severely strained as thousands of daily arrivals return to Afghanistan; the returns come amid widespread expulsion policies by neighboring states that began in 2023 (Reuters)
UN, ADB Announces $100 Million Food Aid Program
The United Nations and the Asian Development Bank are responding to a deepening hunger crisis in the country (FAO)
Around 2.5 million Afghans have been repatriated to the country from Iran and Pakistan over the past year as international aid budgets sagged (UNHCR)
A UN World Food Program official said Afghanistan experienced its largest-ever rise in malnutrition last year (WFP)
ISIS Claims Suicide Bombing at Chinese Restaurant
The self-proclaimed Islamic State carried out an attack at a Chinese restaurant in Kabul’s Shahr-e-Naw District, killing one Chinese national and six Afghans, and wounding several others; the incident prompted Beijing to demand an investigation and enhanced protections for its citizens and investments (Reuters)