Hafizullah MaroofBBC Afghan,
Mahfouz ZubaideBBC producer,
Smoke rises up from the site of explosions in Kabul before the truce
Pakistan and Afghanistan's Taliban government say they have agreed a temporary ceasefire after fresh border clashes and reported Pakistani air strikes on Kabul and Kandahar.Both sides claimed the other requested the 48-hour ceasefire, which Pakistan said took effect from 13:00 GMT on Wednesday.Earlier a Taliban spokesman said 12 civilians had been killed and more than 100 wounded by Pakistani firing. Both sides claimed the other suffered heavy casualties. None of the deaths could be independently confirmed.
Violence has flared since explosions rocked Afghanistan last week, which Kabul blamed on Islamabad. The Taliban deny claims they are harbouring militants targeting Pakistan.Wednesday started with each side accusing the other of initiating the deadly clashes
Pakistan's military said its forces had killed "15-20 Afghan Taliban" and injured many in Spin Boldak border district. The Taliban government spokesman said numerous Pakistani soldiers had been killed.
Then, later in the day explosions in Kabul and Kandahar ratcheted up tensions. Within in an hour, Pakistan announced the ceasefire."During this period, both sides will make sincere efforts to find a positive solution to this complex but solvable issue through constructive dialogue," its Foreign Office said.The Taliban government spokesman said Afghan forces had been instructed to respect the ceasefire "as long as no one commits aggression".
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