ISLAMABAD — Pakistan and Afghanistan announced a temporary halt in fighting on Wednesday ahead of the Eid al-Fitr festival, marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, after the deadliest strike in their escalating conflict killed hundreds in Kabul earlier this week.

The governments in Islamabad and Kabul said in separate statements that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye had requested a pause in fighting during Eid al-Fitr and both agreed.

Cross-border attacks have intensified since last month and Pakistan has accused the Afghan government of shielding extremists behind the violence on its territory. Afghanistan has denied the charges.

On Monday night, Pakistani jets reportedly struck a drug rehabilitation center in Kabul, prompting fresh calls for an immediate end to attacks and talks to end the bloodshed.

Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the government agreed to halt its operations from Thursday to Monday "in good faith and in keeping with the Islamic norms".

"In case of any cross-border attack, drone attack or any terrorist incident inside Pakistan, (operations) shall immediately resume with renewed intensity," Tarar said.

Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said defending Afghanistan was "a national and religious obligation" and the country would respond to any aggression or threat.

Kabul said that around 400 people were killed and more than 200 wounded in Monday's strike, and a mass funeral was held for some of the victims on Wednesday.

Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani said they were innocent victims targeted by "criminals", days before the end of the Muslim holy month.

"We will undoubtedly seek accountability for them," he said, and warned those behind Monday night's bombing, "You will see the consequences of your crimes."

Interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said the ceremony was for identified victims. Some had been sent back to their home provinces for burial.

UN's condemnation

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday strongly condemned the airstrike on Kabul and called for an independent and impartial investigation, a spokesperson said.

Obtaining immediate independent confirmation of the exact death toll is difficult in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with attacks often in hard-to-reach places and with conflicting information.

Agence France-Presse journalists at the scene on Monday evening and Tuesday morning saw at least 95 bodies extracted from the rubble at the devastated rehabilitation center.

Jacopo Caridi, the Afghanistan director for the Norwegian Refugee Council, a humanitarian NGO, said it had teams on the ground.

"From what we saw and what we discussed with the others involved in the (emergency) response, we can say that there were hundreds of killed and wounded," he told AFP.

Agencies - Xinhua