Taliban vow to hit back after saying Pak violated ceasefire

Pakistan carried out strikes in a border province in Afghanistan late Friday, breaking a ceasefire that had brought two days of calm to the border, a senior Taliban official told AFP, warning that Kabul would “retaliate.” Ten civilians were reportedly killed in the strike.

- Agencies

Afghan residents in Kabul on October 16, a day after a Pakistan airstrike; (inset) a still from a video released by Pak army showing its strike on a Taliban post in Spin Boldak on Oct 15.

(AFP and REUTERS)

“Pakistan has broken the ceasefire and bombed three locations in Paktika” province, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Afghanistan will retaliate.”

Earlier in the day, Pakistan and Afghanistan had agreed to extend their 48-hour ceasefire until the conclusion of talks in Doha, according to three Pakistani security officials and one Afghan Taliban source, Reuters reported.