17 Civilians Killed In Kandahar As Taliban-Pakistan Clashes Intensify, Says UN

Bertrand said that supporting Afghan women and girls remains a top priority for him.

The meeting marked the envoy’s first visit to Kabul since his appointment. The EU delegation in Kabul has not yet commented publicly on Bertrand’s trip.

In a statement, the Taliban prime minister’s office said Hanafi thanked the European Union for its assistance to Afghanistan and Afghan refugees.

According to the statement, Hanafi told the EU envoy that the Taliban seeks to maintain positive relations with countries in the region and beyond.

The European Union appointed Bertrand, a French diplomat, as its new special envoy for Afghanistan earlier this month. He is a veteran EU diplomat with prior experience working in Afghanistan.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the group had instructed its fighters to fully observe the truce once it begins.

In a post on X, Mujahid stated that the Taliban agreed to the ceasefire “at the request and insistence of the Pakistani side.”

Earlier, sources within Pakistan’s military told Afghanistan International that Islamabad had accepted the Taliban’s proposal for a 48-hour ceasefire to de-escalate tensions along the border.

The temporary truce comes after several days of heavy fighting between Taliban and Pakistani forces, which left dozens dead on both sides and forced the closure of key border crossings, including Torkham and Spin Boldak.

A senior Pakistani security official, speaking to Afghanistan International on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said "significant targets in Kabul and Kandahar were hit.”

Residents in Kabul reported at least four large explosions near Sarak-e-Panj in the Taimani Project area and the Chaharahi Asbha junction. Witnesses said the blasts continued intermittently, with loud detonations heard every few minutes.

According to locals, the explosions occurred near Sultan Mahmood Ghaznavi School in Taimani. Several residents said they heard fighter jets overhead moments before the blasts.

A resident told Afghanistan International that Taliban military vehicles with sirens rushed to the scene as panicked residents fled the area.

Reliable sources confirmed that the airstrikes were carried out by the Pakistani Air Force. However, there have been no verified reports of casualties so far.

The Taliban have not officially commented, but their spokesperson released a video claiming that one of the explosions was caused by a fuel tanker blast.

The airstrikes mark a significant escalation in tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban government, following days of deadly cross-border clashes and growing mutual accusations over militant activity along the frontier.

However, Taliban spokespersons claimed the blast was the result of a fuel tanker explosion, not an airstrike.

Images obtained by Afghanistan International show a large explosion in Kabul’s Taimani area and near Chahar Rah-e Shahid. The scale of the damage and the intended target remain unclear, and no official casualty figures have been released.

The incident marks the latest in a series of cross-border escalations following days of intense clashes between Taliban and Pakistani forces along the frontier. Neither Islamabad nor the Taliban have yet issued a detailed statement on the reported strike.

In a statement, the army said its forces repelled the assault and killed between 25 and 30 militants from both groups during the clashes.

The military added that in retaliatory strikes, Pakistani troops destroyed eight outposts and six armoured vehicles belonging to the Afghan Taliban and the TTP.

State-run Pakistan Television (PTV), citing security officials, reported that the clashes began after militants from the Afghan Taliban and TTP opened fire on Pakistani border positions.

The incident marks another escalation in cross-border violence amid rising tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban government in Kabul over militant sanctuaries and recent airstrikes.