As peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan resumed in Istanbul this week, a deadly border clash threatened to unravel months of diplomatic effort, reigniting fears of wider conflict between the two uneasy neighbors. The violence, which erupted overnight from November 6 to November 7, 2025, left at least four Afghan civilians dead and five others wounded, according to Afghan officials—a grim reminder of the fragile state of affairs along one of the world’s most volatile frontiers.
The incident unfolded as delegations from both countries sat down for a third round of negotiations under Turkish and Qatari mediation. According to a hospital official in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province, “five people died in today’s incident—four women and one man—and six were wounded,” as reported by AFP. The cross-border fire, which residents said lasted only 10 to 15 minutes, quickly drew accusations and counteraccusations from both capitals, each blaming the other for initiating the breach of a ceasefire brokered just weeks earlier.
Ali Mohammad Haqmal, head of the Information and Culture Department in Spin Boldak, was unequivocal in his condemnation of Pakistan, stating, “Pakistani forces once again opened fire on Spin Boldak.” He added that Afghan forces “did not respond due to the peace talks in Istanbul,” a sentiment echoed by Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, who emphasized that Afghan restraint was out of respect for the negotiation team and to prevent further civilian casualties. Pakistan, for its part, rejected these allegations. The country’s Information Ministry asserted on X (formerly Twitter), “Firing was initiated from the Afghan side, to which our security forces responded immediately in a measured and responsible manner.”
The timing of the clash could hardly have been worse. The Istanbul talks, which began after a bloody month along the border, were already at an impasse, with both sides accusing the other of failing to cooperate on finalizing the terms of the ceasefire. Host Turkey, at the conclusion of the previous round, announced that the parties had agreed to establish a monitoring and verification mechanism to maintain peace and penalize violators. Yet, as the latest violence shows, the path to durable peace remains perilous.
The border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, known as the Durand Line, stretches 2,611 kilometers (1,622 miles) and slices through the Pashtun heartland—a region where tribal allegiances often transcend national boundaries. Afghanistan has never officially recognized the Durand Line, a legacy of colonial-era cartography that continues to fuel mistrust. Both countries routinely accuse each other of turning a blind eye to militants operating along the porous frontier, with Islamabad in particular charging Kabul with harboring the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Kabul staunchly denies these allegations, insisting it does not allow anyone to use Afghan soil for attacks against any country.
The TTP, designated as a terrorist organization by both the United Nations and the United States, is closely allied with the Afghan Taliban. Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, many TTP leaders and fighters are believed to have found refuge in Afghanistan, further straining ties. Pakistan has seen a sharp uptick in militant attacks in recent months, most of them claimed by the TTP. In response, Pakistani forces have targeted what they describe as militant hideouts inside Afghanistan—a move Kabul views as a violation of its sovereignty.
The seeds of the current crisis were sown in early October, when deadly clashes erupted along the border following a series of explosions in Kabul and the southeastern province of Paktika on October 9. The Taliban government immediately blamed Pakistan for the blasts and vowed revenge, while Pakistani officials neither confirmed nor denied involvement. What followed was the deadliest bout of fighting between the two sides in years, with dozens of soldiers, civilians, and suspected militants killed and hundreds more wounded. The United Nations reported that fifty civilians were killed and 447 others wounded on the Afghan side alone during a single week of clashes in October. The Pakistani army said 23 of its soldiers were killed and 29 wounded, though it did not specify civilian casualties.
With tensions at a breaking point, Qatar stepped in to mediate, brokering a ceasefire on October 19. The truce has largely held, despite sporadic flare-ups like the one this week. According to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi, “Pakistan remains committed to ongoing dialogue and expects reciprocity from Afghan authorities.” Andrabi also noted that Pakistan had handed over its demands to mediators, “with a singular aim to put an end to cross border terrorism.” Afghan representatives, led by Abdul Haq Wasiq, director of general intelligence, have insisted that Afghanistan’s territorial sovereignty must be respected.
Negotiations in Istanbul have not been easy. Last week, talks reached an impasse as both sides accused each other of intransigence. Afghan officials say they will not hand over TTP leaders, arguing that Pakistan’s conflict with the group is an internal matter and that Islamabad should negotiate directly with the militants. Pakistan, meanwhile, has warned that failure to rein in the TTP could lead to “open war,” as Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif put it.
The international community is watching closely, alarmed by the prospect of further escalation in a region where al-Qaida and the Islamic State group still have a presence. Qatar and Turkey have continued their mediation efforts, seeking to prevent all-out conflict and to create a durable framework for border security. Even U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in from the sidelines of an ASEAN summit in Malaysia, saying he intended to resolve the conflict “very quickly.”
Despite the setbacks and the latest bloodshed, the ceasefire remains technically in effect, and both sides have signaled a desire to keep talking—if only to avoid a return to the carnage of October. As one Afghan military source told AFP, “We don’t know the reason” for the Pakistani fire, but the hope is that negotiations will yield a lasting solution.
For the families living along the Durand Line, the stakes could not be higher. Each new clash brings fresh grief and uncertainty, underscoring just how fragile peace remains between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Whether the Istanbul talks can break the cycle of blame and violence is, for now, the region’s most urgent question.
