From Fragile Calm to Open Confrontation
After months of uneasy quiet along their 2,600-kilometre mountainous frontier, tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have flared dramatically. Pakistan launched airstrikes on Kabul and other Afghan cities early Friday, calling it an act of “open war” after Taliban forces attacked Pakistani border posts overnight.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, said the country’s patience had “run out.” The military announced an operation named “Ghazab lil Haq” (“Righteous Fury”), claiming it killed 133 Taliban fighters and struck military sites in Kabul and Kandahar — the latter home to Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that Pakistani strikes hit three provinces and said retaliation was under way. Afghanistan’s defence ministry reported eight soldiers killed. Both sides accused each other of further drone attacks and border incursions, with reports that Pakistani forces seized several posts along the frontier.
The Trigger: Cross-Border Attacks
The latest violence began Thursday evening when Taliban forces launched what they described as large-scale operations against Pakistani positions along the Durand Line. The Taliban said the assault was in response to Pakistani airstrikes on 21 February in eastern Afghan provinces that killed at least 18 people.
Islamabad insists those earlier strikes targeted militant hideouts belonging to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the regional branch of so-called Islamic State. Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of allowing TTP fighters to operate from Afghan territory.
Warplanes reportedly struck Kabul around 1:50 am, followed by a second wave of attacks. Anti-aircraft fire echoed across the capital. Pakistan said it hit Taliban brigade and corps headquarters in Kabul and Kandahar, as well as positions in Paktia province. Clashes were also reported in Pakistan’s border regions, including parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Deeper Fault Lines and Regional Politics
At the heart of the conflict lies Pakistan’s claim that the Afghan Taliban is either unwilling or unable to rein in the TTP, which seeks to overthrow the Pakistani state. Though officially separate, the TTP and Afghan Taliban share ideological and historical ties dating back to the insurgency years after 2001.
Security concerns have intensified in Pakistan’s border provinces, particularly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where militant attacks have surged. Meanwhile, the long-disputed Durand Line — never formally recognised by Kabul — continues to fuel mistrust.
Adding another layer of tension is Afghanistan’s perceived warming relationship with India. Some analysts believe Islamabad views Kabul’s diplomatic outreach to New Delhi as a strategic threat. Asif publicly accused the Taliban of turning Afghanistan into “a colony of India,” warning that Pakistan would no longer tolerate what it sees as indifference to its security concerns.
Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Pakistan has carried out multiple airstrikes inside Afghanistan. Dozens of border clashes have erupted since the US withdrawal, despite attempts at mediation — including a ceasefire brokered by Qatar in October 2025 that ultimately failed to produce lasting peace.
With both sides exchanging heavy fire and rhetoric hardening, the risk of a broader war is no longer theoretical. Whether diplomacy can pull them back from the brink now remains an open question.
