Five Pakistani soldiers and 25 militants have died in clashes near the border with Afghanistan, the military said on Sunday (October 26, 2025), as delegations from both countries met to try to defuse tensions after the deadliest fighting in years.

The militants tried to cross over from Afghanistan on Friday (October 25) and Saturday (October 26) in Kurram and North Waziristan districts, rugged areas along Pakistan’s northwestern frontier, the Pakistani military’s media wing said.

It said the attempted infiltrations cast doubt on the intentions of the government in Afghanistan in “regards to addressing the issue of terrorism emanating from its soil”.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban government’s chief spokesman and the defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported attacks.

The Taliban denies accusations of sheltering militants and says Pakistan’s military operations violate Afghan sovereignty.

Officials from both countries are meeting in Istanbul to prevent a relapse into conflict after clashes between their armies earlier this month — the worst border fighting since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul.

That fighting erupted after Pakistan demanded the Taliban rein in militants it says operate from Afghan sanctuaries, prompting heavy exchanges of fire and Pakistani airstrikes. Both sides reached a truce in Doha last Sunday.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, said on Saturday (October 25) the truce was holding and he believed Afghanistan wanted peace. But he warned that failure to reach an agreement in Istanbul would mean “open war”.

Pakistan’s military described the attackers as members of “Fitna al Khwarij” a term it uses for groups it says are inspired by militant ideology and backed by “foreign sponsors”.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister said on Saturday (October 25, 2025) he believes Afghanistan wants peace but that failure to reach an agreement during talks in Istanbul would mean “open war,” days after both sides agreed to a ceasefire following deadly border clashes.

The talks in Istanbul, which began on Saturday (October 25) and are expected to continue into Sunday (October 26), mark the latest attempt by Pakistan and Afghanistan to prevent a relapse into violence after the worst border fighting since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul.

The talks are meant to devise a mechanism to enforce the Doha ceasefire longer term.

Khawaja Muhammad Asif said there had been no incidents in the four to five days since it was agreed, and both sides were complying with the truce.

“We have the option, if no agreement takes place, we have an open war with them,” he said in televised remarks from Pakistan. “But I saw that they want peace.”

The clashes erupted earlier this month after Islamabad demanded that the Taliban curb militants it says are attacking Pakistan from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan.

Pakistan launched airstrikes across the border and both sides exchanged heavy fire, killing dozens and prompting the closure of key crossings that remain shut.

Islamabad accuses Kabul of sheltering militants who target Pakistani forces. The Taliban rejects the charge and says Pakistan’s military operations violate Afghan sovereignty. 

Eight TTP terrorists were killed and five others injured on Friday (October 24, 2025) during an intelligence-based operation in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said.

The operation was carried out in the Wanda Sheikh Allah area of Lakki Marwat district.

Eight terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan were killed and five others were injured in the operation, police said.

In a separate incident, unknown assailants blew up a newly constructed government girls’ primary school in Tank district, bordering South Waziristan, on Friday.

The incident took place at Gara Budha village in Sial Gul Korona, police said.

No casualties were reported as the building was unoccupied at the time of the blast.

Security officials suspect the involvement of militants aiming to disrupt the rise of education and literacy, particularly girls’ education, in the region.

No group has claimed responsibility for the school bombing as yet. However, splinter groups of TTP active in the Tank district are against girls’ education and usually target their schools.

Over 450 schools in the province have been destroyed in such attacks over the last decade, forcing students to either quit education or attend classes next to ruined buildings or the rubble, as per data collected by local NGOs.

Pakistan witnessed multiple attacks on girls’ schools until 2019, especially in the Swat Valley and former tribal areas under the control of TTP.

In 2012, the insurgents attacked Nobel prize winner Malala Yousafzai, a teenage student and advocate for the education of girls.

Pakistan has lately been witnessing a rise in terrorist activities, mainly in provinces bordering Afghanistan.

As many as 298 people died due to terrorism so far this year in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to a Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) report published on Thursday.

The report said that till October 22, 117 police personnel and 181 civilians were killed in various terrorist incidents across the province, bringing the total number of lives lost to 298, while 486 others sustained injuries.

As per the data, across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 2,366 intelligence-based operations were conducted in which 1,124 militants were arrested and 368 terrorists were gunned down.

The report stated that 6,181 suspects were charged in different terrorism-related cases during the year.

Action against extortion rackets also intensified, with 1,287 cases being registered till now this year, and 209 suspects were charged, while 52 others were apprehended during operations.

Pakistan has resumed Afghan transit trade in a phased manner following a ceasefire agreement with the Afghan Taliban government, according to a media report on Thursday (October 23, 2025).

The trade activity was suspended on October 13 due to clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan forces, and it remained suspended for ten days, leaving scores of vehicles stranded.

Around 300 vehicles stranded at various locations are now being cleared, beginning with operations via the southwestern Chaman border crossing in the Balochistan province.

Quoting the Directorate of Transit Trade (Customs), The Express Tribune newspaper reported that the cargo operations will be completed in three stages, adding that all regular transit trade activities will resume on a “first in, first out” basis once the existing backlog is cleared.

In the first phase, nine vehicles that were turned back when the Friendship Gate was closed will be reweighed and rescanned. Any discrepancies will lead to a full inspection.

The Friendship Gate connects Balochistan province to Afghanistan’s Kandahar.

The second phase will cover 74 vehicles that were returned from the NLC Border Terminal Yard. These will also undergo reweighing and scanning, with complete checks if inconsistencies are found.

The third phase involves clearing 217 vehicles currently parked in the halting yard, which will then be allowed to cross the border into Afghanistan.

The directive added that photographs of all returning or halted vehicles will be taken and archived at the Friendship Gate to ensure transparency and proper documentation.

Officials said the resumption of transit trade is expected to provide relief to traders, transporters and cargo operators who suffered heavy losses during the border closure.

They added that security checks and inspection procedures have been further tightened to prevent smuggling and illegal trade.

The Chaman border remains Pakistan’s most significant land trade route with Afghanistan, handling dozens of trucks and consignments daily. Authorities hope that the phased reopening will restore smooth cross-border trade and strengthen economic ties between the two countries, according to the newspaper.

Pakistan had closed crossings along the 2,600-km border with Afghanistan, including the two main border crossings at Torkham and Chaman, and at least three minor crossings, at Kharlachi, Angoor Adda and Ghulam Khan.

On October 19, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to an immediate ceasefire during talks in Qatar. The two sides agreed to meet on October 25 in Istanbul to discuss “detailed matters.”

The restoration of transit trade is expected to revive cross-border commercial activity and improve bilateral trade relations, according to the newspaper.

Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire on Wednesday (October 15, 2025), the foreign ministry in Islamabad said, after dozens of troops and civilians were killed earlier in a fresh round of border skirmishes.

“The Pakistani government and the Afghan Taliban regime — at the Taliban’s request… have decided to implement a temporary ceasefire starting from 6 p.m. (01.00 GMT) today for the next 48 hours,” the ministry said.

There was no immediate response from Taliban authorities in Kabul.