Pakistan says it's ready for talks with Afghanistan, Kabul residents recall airstrike shock

By Asif Shahzad

KABUL / ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that Islamabad was ready to hold talks with Afghanistan to resolve their conflict, as a temporary ceasefire that halted days of fierce fighting between the former allies largely held.

The South Asian neighbours engaged in ground fighting and Pakistan launched airstrikes across their contested frontier, killing dozens and wounding hundreds before agreeing to a 48-hour truce from 1300 GMT on Wednesday.

Sharif told his cabinet in Islamabad that Pakistan had "retaliated" as it ran out of patience with Afghanistan following a series of militant attacks.

BALL IN AFGHAN COURT, PAKISTAN PM SAYS

"If they want to talk on our valid conditions and want to resolve through dialogue we are ready for that," Sharif said. "This message has been given to them yesterday. Now the ball is in their court."

"If this ceasefire is done just to buy time, we will not accept it," he added.

There was no immediate response to his remarks from Kabul, with Afghan defence ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khowarazmi saying only that the ceasefire was holding so far.

A statement from the Afghan Taliban Interior Ministry said Interior Minister Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani met senior Iranian officials and told them that Afghanistan seeks good relations with all countries, especially its neighbours.

"Just as we respect the sovereignty and dignity of others, we expect the same goodwill and respect toward us," the statement quoted Haqqani as saying.

PAKISTAN SAYS IT KILLED MILITANTS

Although the neighbours have clashed in the past, the latest fighting is their worst in decades.

The recent friction between the Islamic countries erupted after Islamabad demanded that Kabul act to rein in militants who had stepped up attacks in Pakistan, saying they operated from havens in Afghanistan.

The Taliban denies the charge and accuses the Pakistani military of spreading misinformation about Afghanistan, provoking border tensions, and sheltering ISIS-linked militants to undermine its stability and sovereignty.

Islamabad denies the accusations.

At least 18 civilians were killed and more than 360 wounded in Afghanistan as a result of the fighting since Oct. 10, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said.

Pakistan said that it had killed 34 militants in three separate operations this week.

EVERYTHING WENT DARK, AIRSTRIKE VICTIMS SAY

In Kabul's Taimani neighbourhood, residents were still recovering from an airstrike on Wednesday afternoon, hours before the ceasefire came into force.

Bashir Ahmad, a doctor at EMERGENCY's Surgical Centre in Kabul, a facility for war victims, said 34 people were brought there after the strike with numerous wounds, including fractures to the head and legs and severe burns.

Abdul Kabir, whose office is located in the area, recalled a "terrifyingly loud sound" when the strike hit.

"Everything suddenly went dark...the house across from our office...was completely destroyed by the rocket, from the top floor down to the ground," he said.

A mixed residential and commercial neighbourhood, Taimani is dotted with high-rise buildings and lies about a 20-minute drive from the capital city's centre.

Mawludin, another victim who gave only his first name, said he was buried under glass by the explosion and was pulled out by his friends.

"When I got outside...everything was dark, and there was dust everywhere. Everyone, old and young, was in bad condition," he said.

(Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar in Kabul, Additional reporting by Saeed Shah and Asif Shahzad in Islamabad; Writing by Sakshi Dayal and YP Rajesh, Editing by William Maclean)