By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
October 16, 2025

Nazifa has not left her home since suspected Pakistani air strikes struck her neighborhood in Kabul, the Afghan capital.

“We’re scared to go outside,” Nazifa, who used a pseudonym for fear of retribution, told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi. “We don’t want to be caught in another attack.”

Nazifa said the huge blasts on October 15 rattled her home in Kabul’s Taimani neighborhood, a largely residential and commercial area, and blew out the windows.

The suspected bombing raid in Kabul came as fresh fighting erupted between Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers and Pakistan on October 15. Islamabad also carried out air strikes in southern Afghanistan, which was the scene of fierce ground fighting.

Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to a 48-hour cease-fire on October 15. But the truce has done little to quell the fear gripping Kabul, a city of some 5 million people.

“No part of Afghanistan is safe — neither on the ground or in the air,” said another woman living in Kabul, who spoke to Radio Azadi on condition of anonymity. “The situation could worsen again at any time. I haven’t been to work since yesterday because I’m scared.”

At least five people were killed and 35 wounded in the blasts in Kabul, said Italian NGO, Emergency, which runs a hospital in the city. The casualties suffered shrapnel wounds, blunt force trauma, and burns, with 10 in critical condition, the NGO said.

City workers were still clearing debris from the charred streets on October 16. Several Kabul neighborhoods were out of power, after the blasts damaged electricity cables.

“When I went out of our apartment block, I saw wounded children lying on the street,” said Hanifa, a woman who lives in the Taimani neighborhood. “I saw one boy — he looked like he was around 8 years old. He had burns to half of his body.”

Hanifa, who also asked that RFE/RL use a pseudonym, said the blasts had “terrified” residents, forcing some of them to contemplate leaving the city.

Pakistan’s state broadcaster PTV News reported that Islamabad conducted “precision strikes” in Kabul. The target of the attack was unclear, but it came after Pakistan carried out unprecedented drone strikes in the Afghan capital on October 9 targeting members of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) extremist group.

The drone strikes triggered fierce fighting between Taliban fighters and Pakistani security forces on October 11-12, leaving dozens dead and key border crossings closed. It was the deadliest-ever fighting involving the sides.

The violence has raised fears of an all-out war between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, longtime allies that have fallen out.

Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of sheltering the TTP, which is waging an increasingly deadly insurgency against Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban, which seized power in 2021, denies the allegation.

Taliban fighters and Pakistani soldiers have sporadically clashed along the countries’ 2,600-kilometer border since 2021. But the ferocity of the recent violence and the explosive rhetoric are seen as a major escalation.

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

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By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi and RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal

October 15, 2025

Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to a temporary cease-fire on October 15 after deadly air strikes and ground fighting raised fears of a full-blown conflict between the neighbors.

Pakistan carried out air strikes in Afghanistan’s southern province of Kandahar, causing multiple casualties, locals told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi.

Explosions were also heard in Kabul, according to city residents who spoke to Radio Azadi. Unverified footage on social media appeared to show plumes of smoke rising into the sky in the Afghan capital. The cause of the explosions was not immediately clear.

Ground fighting also erupted along the countries’ 2,600-kilometer-long border, leaving several dead on both sides.

Temporary Cease-Fire

In a statement later on October 15, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the sides had agreed to a “temporary cease-fire for the next 48 hours” starting at 6:00 p.m. Pakistan local time.

The latest violence came after fierce fighting erupted between Taliban fighters and Pakistani security forces on October 11-12, leaving dozens dead and key border crossings closed. It was the deadliest-ever fighting involving the sides.

The border clashes occurred just days after Pakistan carried out drone strikes in the center of Kabul as well as air strikes in eastern Afghanistan.

The violence has raised fears of an all-out war between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, longtime allies that have fallen out.

Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of sheltering the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) extremist group, which is waging an increasingly deadly insurgency against Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban, which seized power in 2021, denies the allegation.

Civilians Fleeing The Border Zones

Civilians on both sides of the border said the recent fighting had forced some to flee their homes amid fears of a broader war.

“Many people on both sides of the border have vacated their houses and fled the area for safer locations fearing that the fighting may expand,” Muhammad Naeem, a local journalist in the border town of Chaman, told RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal.

Residents of Spin Boldak, a district in the Afghan province of Kandahar which borders Chaman, said Pakistani military helicopters bombed a market.

“Civilian cars and homes were hit,” said a resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Many civilians were killed and injured.”

The Taliban government in Kabul said 12 civilians were killed in the attack in Spin Boldak.

The recent spate of violence has led to the closure of border crossings, affecting local businesses and the movement of people.

“Border closures lead to higher prices and can affect people’s livelihoods,” said a Kabul resident who also did not want to be identified. “I hope the war will come to an end.”

Islamabad had backed the Taliban since the group’s emergence in the 1990s, allegedly continuing its support throughout the Taliban’s two-decade insurgency against the US-backed Afghan government.

Experts say the goal was to establish a friendly government in Kabul that would advance Pakistan’s interests — a strategy that now appears to have backfired.

Taliban fighters and Pakistani soldiers have sporadically clashed along the countries’ 2,600-kilometer border since 2021. But the ferocity of the recent violence and the explosive rhetoric are seen as a major escalation.

Written by Kian Sharifi based on reporting by RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi and Radio Mashaal

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

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