KABUL : Pakistan launched strikes on Afghan soil late Friday, breaking a ceasefire that had brought two days of calm to the border, a senior Taliban official told AFP, warning that Kabul would "retaliate."

The 48-hour truce had paused nearly a week of bloody border clashes that killed dozens of troops and civilians on both sides.

"Pakistan has broken the ceasefire and bombed three locations in Paktika" province, the Taliban official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Afghanistan will retaliate."

When the truce began at 1300 GMT on Wednesday, Islamabad said that it was to last 48 hours, but Kabul said the ceasefire would remain in effect until Pakistan violated it.

Earlier, Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said it had ordered its soldiers not to attack, unless

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