Sawt Falasteen - Afghans return home to rubble, hoping truce holds with Pakistan

A gaping hole in the living room reveals only charred belongings and debris, while blackened teddy bears and makeup lie in what once was a bedroom.

The explosion at his home was one of four that hit the Afghan capital within a week, as unusually intense violence broke out with Pakistan -- then suddenly halted under a temporary truce.

The fighting -- which has left dozens of troops and civilians dead on both sides, mostly in border regions -- represents the worst clashes between the neighbours since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

"We were attending a graduation ceremony when I learned that an explosion had struck my house around 4:00 pm," Rahim, a motorcycle vendor, tells AFP.

Two explosions occurred Wednesday afternoon following aerial bombardments, according to Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran. The strikes plunged central Kabul into terror.

Pakistani security sources meanwhile said they carried out "precision strikes" against an armed group.

Stunned residents have been clearing the rubble, hoping the ceasefire will hold.

"When I returned, I saw shattered windows, injured people lying on the road, and several dead," says Rahim, now forced to live with relatives.

"War is not a solution -- we hope for dialogue," he pleads.

Next door, a yellow-walled school has also been gutted.

- 'Not a solution' -

At least five dead and 35 injured were transported to a Kabul hospital Wednesday afternoon, according to Italian NGO EMERGENCY, which runs the facility.

No official death toll has been released.

Passersby stop to stare at the devastation, kept at a distance by security cordons and numerous personnel.

Three hundred metres away, a market in a residential area was also hit, with videos shared by local media showing a fireball engulfing the neighbourhood.

Next to a tall building where at least seven stories can be seen charred, Safiullah Hamidi, a 21-year-old student says his uncle's apartment was among those impacted.

"Pakistan should fight with our army if they want a confrontation, but not by bombing civilians," he says.

Nearby, Samir Ousmani gathers up metal bars littering his car wash station, almost entirely destroyed.

"One of my employees was killed, and two others, along with my uncle, were injured," reports the 22-year-old.

- Holding their breath -

At the border, where the clashes have been concentrated, residents who had fled are returning home.

"Stores have reopened, and everyone is going about their business, but the border is still closed," says Naqibullah, a 35-year-old merchant in Spin Boldak, Kandahar province.

The death toll continues to mount.

In the border town, 40 civilians were killed Wednesday in exchanges of fire with the Pakistani army, according to local health authorities.

The UN recorded 37 civilians killed and 425 injured in recent days on the Afghan side.

"Yesterday, the situation was terrible because of the war. I hope it doesn't resume because there have already been too many victims," says Aminullah, 22.

Islamabad said the temporary truce would last 48 hours, which ends on Friday evening.

"We are waiting to see what happens tomorrow," says Shamsullah, 36, a biryani vendor.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Thursday that for the truce to endure, the ball was "in the court" of the Taliban government.

Kabul has not immediately commented.

L.AbuTayeh--SF-PST