Hours-long peace talks between Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan entered a third day Monday in Istanbul, officials from both sides said, but they were unable to reach an agreement by the end of the day. The talks came a day after US President Donald Trump pledged to resolve the crisis between the two neighbours `very quickly` and as tensions along the border remained high following recent exchanges of fire that have killed dozens of soldiers and civilians on the both sides.

The clashes prompted Qatar to host a first round of negotiations that led to a ceasefire agreement on October 19 between Islamabad and Kabul. Afghan media on Monday quoted Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for Afghanistan`s Taliban government, as saying the Istanbul discussions were still in progress, with no outcome announced yet. Pakistani officials also confirmed the talks are underway but the Afghan delegation was repeatedly consulting authorities in Kabul, and Pakistan was not getting an encouraging response.