Afghanistan has released three Pakistani soldiers who it had captured during cross-border fighting last October, its government spokesman said on Tuesday (February 17, 2026).

Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement the three, who had been captured during fighting on October 12, were turned over to a Saudi delegation that mediated between the two sides and had travelled to Kabul on Monday (February 16).

He said the release was decided upon in light of the start of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and reflection.

Tension between Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan has been high since deadly border clashes in October killed dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants, and wounded hundreds more on both sides. The violence erupted after explosions in Kabul, the Afghan capital, on October 9 that the Taliban government blamed on Pakistan and vowed to avenge.

The fighting was the worst between the neighbours in recent years. A ceasefire mediated by Qatar has since eased tension, although subsequent peace talks in Istanbul failed to produce a definitive agreement and relations remain strained.

There was no immediate comment from Pakistan on the release of the three soldiers.

Officials from Pakistan and Afghanistan were still trying to find common ground to settle their dispute over cross-border military and other issues despite three days of talks held in Turkiye, says Sources

Talks began on Saturday (October 25, 2025) and continued through Monday (October 27, 2025), but without any final agreement.

Quoting officials, the Dawn newspaper reported that a final agreement still remained elusive.

Sources familiar with the closed-door discussions said that while “most of the points had been mutually agreed between the two sides”, the mechanism for verifiable action against terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory continued to be the main sticking point.

“We kept hoping that we would be able to sign a mutual document with Afgha­nistan soon, followed by a joint statement, but it remains out of our reach,” the Dawn newspaper quoted one source as saying.

The atmosphere early on Monday (October 27) had been markedly positive. Participants des­c­­ribed “encouraging progress” and “serious engagement” from both delegations.

As the day wore on and talks stretched into the evening, optimism began to fade. “It is a difficult phase,” a source said.

By nightfall, it appeared that the process had once again hit a roadblock, according to the Dawn newspaper.

The Afghan Taliban delegation continued to resist putting anything in writing, particularly on the issue of providing verifiable guarantees to end support for the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), according to the participants.

The tone at the start of Monday’s (October 27) proceedings contrasted sharply with the pessimism that followed Sunday’s (October 26) session, when Pakistani officials told reporters that Islamabad had presented its final position to the Taliban delegation — a statement widely interpreted in local media as signalling the possible collapse of the talks.

In contrast to those reports, members of the Afghan negotiating team had on Sunday (October 26) night and Monday (October 27) morning continued to express optimism.

They maintained that the dialogue in Istanbul could still yield results, describing the remaining disagreements as “few” and “resolvable”.

“The Afghan side has made it clear that tensions benefit no one,” one member of the delegation said. “We are hopeful that these talks will produce a positive outcome.” Mediators from Turkiye and Qatar were said to share this sentiment, stressing the importance of maintaining engagement and preventing the process from unravelling.

Despite the lingering stalemate, diplomatic sources described Monday’s (October 27) session as “not without significance.”

“Even if the talks didn’t produce a breakthrough, the fact that both sides stayed engaged for three straight days is important,” one mediator said. “It shows that neither wants the process to collapse.” By late evening, negotiators in Istanbul were weighing whether to extend discussions into a fourth day, according to the Dawn newspaper.

Dozens of soldiers, civilians, and terrorists were killed in clashes earlier this month, creating a war-like situation; however, peace was restored temporarily on October 19 after the two sides held talks — facilitated by Qatar and Turkiye — in Doha.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday (October 28, 2025) warned of an “all-out war” with the Afghan Taliban if the talks failed.