Pakistan Launches Airstrikes on Afghan Cities, Declares 'Open War'
Pakistan carried out overnight airstrikes on major cities in Afghanistan, including Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia, officials from both Islamabad and Kabul confirmed on Friday. This aggressive move sharply escalates months of simmering border tensions between the two Islamic neighbors, bringing them to the brink of a full-scale confrontation.
Escalation of Cross-Border Violence
The airstrikes targeted areas in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia following days of intense cross-border fire along the contentious Durand Line. Both nations have accused each other of initiating this latest round of violence, with Islamabad declaring it is now in an "open war" after retaliatory attacks by Taliban forces.
This escalation represents one of the most serious military confrontations between Pakistan and Afghanistan since the Taliban regained power in 2021. It deepens an already strained relationship that has been marred by militant attacks, repeated border closures, and persistent diplomatic tensions over the past three years.
Background: Rising Militancy and Deepening Mistrust
The current confrontation comes after years of deteriorating bilateral ties following the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan. While Pakistan initially welcomed the Taliban takeover in 2021, with then-Prime Minister Imran Khan praising Afghans for "breaking the shackles of slavery," relations quickly soured.
Islamabad maintains that the leadership of the militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and many of its fighters are based in Afghanistan. Pakistan also alleges that insurgents seeking independence for Balochistan province use Afghan territory as a safe haven for operations.
According to data from Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, militant attacks by both TTP and Baloch insurgents have increased annually since 2022, creating significant security challenges for Pakistan.
Kabul has repeatedly denied allowing militants to use Afghan territory to launch attacks against Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban counter-accuse Pakistan of harboring fighters from Islamic State, their primary enemy—a charge that Islamabad firmly rejects.
Recent Pakistani security sources claim to possess "irrefutable evidence" that militants based in Afghanistan were behind a wave of attacks and suicide bombings targeting Pakistani military and police personnel. These sources listed seven planned or successful attacks since late 2024 that they directly connect to Afghanistan.
One particularly deadly attack last week in Bajaur district killed 11 security personnel and two civilians. Pakistani security sources identified the perpetrator as an Afghan national and said the TTP claimed responsibility for the assault.
The TTP Threat and Historical Context
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, formed in 2007, has conducted numerous attacks on civilian and military targets including markets, mosques, airports, military bases, and police stations. The group has gained territory primarily along the Afghan border and deep inside Pakistan, including the Swat Valley region.
The TTP was responsible for the 2012 attack on Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai when she was a schoolgirl. The group also fought alongside the Afghan Taliban against U.S.-led forces during the conflict in Afghanistan.
Pakistan has conducted multiple military operations against the TTP within its own territory with limited success. While an offensive that concluded in 2016 significantly reduced attacks for several years, violence has surged again since 2022, creating renewed security concerns.
Latest Escalation and Conflicting Casualty Reports
The current round of fighting began last week when Pakistani strikes on Afghanistan's Nangarhar and Paktika provinces killed at least 13 civilians, according to the United Nations mission in Afghanistan. Afghan authorities described subsequent attacks on Pakistani border positions as retaliation for those initial strikes.
On Thursday night, Taliban forces attacked Pakistani troops deployed along the Durand Line, calling it retaliation for earlier deadly strikes. As cross-border clashes intensified, Pakistan responded with airstrikes targeting parts of Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia.
Afghanistan's Ministry of National Defence claimed that 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed in retaliatory operations launched at 8:00 PM on the 9th of Ramadan, corresponding to February 26. The ministry's statement read: "A few days ago, the Pakistani military circles, with great audacity, violated Afghan territory, breached our borders, and martyred women and children here."
The statement added: "In these retaliatory operations along the Durand Line, a total of 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed, two bases and 19 posts were captured."
Pakistan immediately rejected these claims. Mosharraf Ali Zaidi, spokesperson for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, stated that at least 133 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed and more than 200 wounded in the exchanges. He also claimed that 27 Afghan posts were destroyed and nine fighters captured, while denying that any Pakistani soldiers had been taken prisoner.
Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar reported that two Pakistani soldiers were killed and three wounded in the fighting. Pakistani officials also reported additional losses from strikes on military targets in Kabul, Paktia, and Kandahar.
Following the Pakistani airstrikes, Afghanistan's spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the attacks, calling the actions by the Pakistani military "cowardly." In a statement on social media platform X, Mujahid said: "The cowardly Pakistani military has carried out airstrikes in certain areas of Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia; fortunately, there have been no reported casualties."
'Ghazab Lil Haq' Operation and Official Statements
In retaliation for the latest clashes, Pakistan initiated what it calls the 'Ghazab Lil Haq' operation targeting the Afghan Taliban regime, according to state media reports. State broadcaster PTV News stated that the operation was launched in response to what Pakistan terms "unprovoked aggression" from Afghanistan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared that Pakistan's armed forces are fully capable of responding to any aggression. "Our forces have the full capability to crush any aggressive ambitions," Sharif said in a post shared on the Pakistani government's official X account. "The entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the Pakistan armed forces," he emphasized.
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stated that the country had exhausted its "patience" and now considers itself in an "open war" with neighboring Afghanistan. He accused the Taliban of aligning with India and transforming Afghanistan into what he described as a base for hostile activities against Pakistan.
In a strongly worded statement, Asif said: "After the withdrawal of NATO forces, it was expected that there would be peace in Afghanistan and that the Taliban would focus on the interests of the Afghan people and peace in the region... They gathered all the terrorists of the world in Afghanistan and began exporting terrorism. They deprived their own people of basic human rights. They snatched away the rights that Islam grants to women."
He concluded with a stark warning: "Our cup of patience has overflowed. Now it is open war between us and you. Now it will be 'Dama Dam Mast Qalandar'. Pakistan's army did not come from across the seas. We are your neighbors; we know your ins and outs. Allahu Akbar."
