Afghanistan and Pakistan agree to restart peace talks in Istanbul, sources say

Afghanistan and Pakistan will restart peace talks in Istanbul, three sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday, a day after Islamabad said the discussions had ended in failure.

Two of the sources said the nations had agreed to recommence talks at the request of host nation Turkey. Negotiation teams from both countries are currently in Istanbul, two of the sources said, to ensure they do not resume border clashes that have killed dozens this month.

One of the sources, a Pakistani security official, said Islamabad will press its central demand at the talks: that Afghanistan take action against militants using its territory as a safe haven and to plan attacks on Pakistani soil.

Islamabad accuses the Taliban of harbouring the Pakistani Taliban, a separate group hostile to Pakistan, allowing them to launch attacks from Afghanistan against Pakistani troops. Kabul denies this, saying it has no control over the group.

The sources declined to be named as they are not authorised to comment publicly on the issue.

The Afghan Taliban and Pakistan's military and foreign office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Dozens were killed this month along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan in the worst such violence since the Taliban took power in Kabul in 2021.

The October clashes began after Pakistani air strikes this month on Kabul, the Afghan capital, among other locations, targeting the head of the Pakistani Taliban.

The Taliban responded with attacks on Pakistani military posts along the length of the 2,600-km border, which remains closed.

Both nations agreed to a ceasefire brokered in Doha on October 19, but could not find common ground in a second round of talks mediated by Turkey and Qatar in Istanbul, Afghan and Pakistani sources briefed on the issue told Reuters on Tuesday.

Clashes between the Pakistan military and the Pakistani Taliban have continued throughout the ceasefire period, with multiple fatalities reported on both sides on Sunday and Wednesday.