SPIN BOLDAK (Afghanistan) — A ceasefire along the frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan was holding today, officials on both sides said, after dozens of troops and civilians were killed in cross-border clashes.

In Spin Boldak, a focal point of recent clashes on the Afghan side, an AFP journalist saw shops reopening and residents returning to homes they had fled during the fighting.

The 48-hour ceasefire was aimed at allowing time to “find a positive solution... through constructive dialogue”, according to Islamabad.

Pakistan is facing a resurgence of attacks against its security forces on its western border with Afghanistan, led by the Pakistani Taliban and its affiliates.

Around 20 civilians were killed and nearly 170 wounded yesterday, according to Spin Boldak’s information department spokesman Mohammad Haqmal.