ISLAMABAD: 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 Türkiye. 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.
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. - Reuters
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