Developing: Pakistan Declares 'Open War' on Afghanistan as Airstrikes Hit Kabul and Taliban Launch Cross-Border Offensive
Key Takeaways
- Pakistan's Defence Minister declared 'open war' on Afghanistan after Taliban forces launched a large-scale offensive against Pakistani border positions on February 26.
- Pakistani airstrikes hit 22 locations across Afghanistan, including the capital Kabul, while the Taliban deployed drones and ground forces against Pakistani military posts.
- Both sides claim significant enemy casualties — Pakistan says 274 killed, the Taliban claims 55 Pakistani soldiers killed — but no figures can be independently verified.
- The conflict stems from Pakistan's accusation that the Taliban harbors TTP militants responsible for deadly attacks inside Pakistan, a charge the Taliban denies.
- The UN, Qatar, Turkey, Russia, and China have called for an immediate ceasefire, with diplomatic channels remaining active despite the escalation.
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif declared the country is in 'open war' with Afghanistan on February 27, 2026, following a dramatic escalation of cross-border hostilities that has seen Pakistani airstrikes hit the Afghan capital Kabul and at least 21 other locations across the country. The declaration came hours after Taliban forces launched what they described as 'extensive preemptive operations' against Pakistani military positions along the 2,611-kilometer Durand Line.
'Our cup of patience has overflowed. Now it is open war between us and you,' Asif stated, accusing the Taliban government of harboring the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group responsible for a wave of deadly attacks inside Pakistan. The Pakistani military said it struck 22 locations across Afghanistan, including targets in Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, Jalalabad, Khost, Paktika, and Laghman provinces.
The escalation marks the most serious military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, and has drawn urgent calls for a ceasefire from the United Nations, China, Russia, Turkey, and Qatar. Casualty figures remain heavily disputed, with both sides claiming significant enemy losses while the full civilian toll remains unclear.
Timeline: How the Conflict Escalated
The current crisis has roots stretching back months. In October 2025, border clashes killed more than 70 people on both sides, leading to a Qatari-mediated ceasefire. Peace talks hosted by Turkey in November 2025 failed to produce a lasting agreement, and low-level incidents continued through the winter.
Tensions ratcheted higher in February 2026 when Pakistan suffered a series of devastating attacks attributed to TTP militants operating from Afghan territory. A suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad killed 36 people, and an attack on a military checkpoint in the Bajaur district killed 11 soldiers and a child. On February 21-22, the Pakistani Air Force struck seven alleged TTP and ISIS-K camps in Afghanistan's Nangarhar, Paktika, and Khost provinces, claiming 70 fighters killed. Taliban authorities said at least 18 civilians died in those strikes.
The situation reached a breaking point on February 26 when Taliban forces launched what they called 'large-scale offensive operations' against Pakistani military positions along the Durand Line. The fighting lasted approximately four hours, with the Taliban deploying drone strikes, quadcopters, and what they described as 'specialized laser units' operating at night. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the assault was 'a message that our hands can reach their throats,' claiming his forces destroyed 19 Pakistani army posts and two military bases.
Pakistan Responds with Airstrikes Across Afghanistan
Pakistan's military response on February 27 was sweeping. The air force conducted strikes across 22 locations in Afghanistan, hitting targets in Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, Jalalabad, Khost, Paktika, and Laghman provinces. Pakistani forces also intercepted and shot down several drones over northwestern cities including Abbottabad, Swabi, and Nowshera, and later struck an arms depot in Laghman province.
Pakistan's military claimed 274 Afghan forces and militants killed and more than 400 wounded, with 73-83 Taliban posts destroyed and 17 captured. Pakistan acknowledged 12 of its own soldiers killed and 27 wounded, with one soldier missing in action.
The Taliban fiercely disputed these figures. Deputy Spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said Pakistani attacks killed 19 civilians and injured 26, with the majority being women and children. The Taliban claimed 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed, with 23 bodies taken to Afghanistan. Independent verification of any casualty figures has been impossible amid the active hostilities.
The Civilian Cost and Humanitarian Concerns
Reports from the ground paint a devastating picture of civilian suffering. Taliban officials said Pakistani airstrikes hit a farmer's home in Jalalabad, killing most of his family, and struck a religious school for children in Paktika province. Broader reports described strikes hitting locations characterized by the Taliban as civilian areas and religious centers.
The humanitarian dimension extends beyond immediate casualties. The Pakistan-Afghanistan border has been effectively closed since October 2025, disrupting trade and stranding communities that depend on cross-border commerce. Pakistan has hosted approximately five million Afghan refugees for 50 years, and 2.9 million returned to Afghanistan in 2025 alone. Another 80,000 have returned since the start of 2026, raising concerns about the fate of remaining refugees if the conflict deepens.
The fighting's timing during Ramadan has drawn particular condemnation. India's government criticized the strikes as 'externalising internal failures' during the Muslim holy month, while Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged both sides to pursue dialogue.
The Durand Line: A Century-Old Dispute at the Heart of the Conflict
The military confrontation cannot be understood without reference to the Durand Line, the 2,611-kilometer border established during British colonial rule in 1893. Afghanistan has never formally recognized the boundary, arguing that it illegitimately divided ethnic Pashtun communities. The dispute has been a persistent source of tension between the two countries for over a century.
Pakistan's core grievance centers on the TTP, a militant group that has operated from Afghan territory since at least 2007. While the TTP shares ideological and linguistic ties with the Afghan Taliban, it maintains separate operations targeting the Pakistani state. Pakistan accuses the Taliban government of sheltering the TTP and Baloch separatist groups — a charge the Taliban has consistently denied, insisting that 'Pakistan's internal conflict is a purely domestic issue.'
Defence Minister Asif added a geopolitical dimension to the crisis, accusing the Taliban of becoming 'a proxy for India' and turning Afghanistan 'into a colony of India.' He said Pakistan had exhausted diplomatic avenues: 'Pakistan made every effort to keep the situation normal through direct means and through friendly countries. It engaged in full-fledged diplomacy. But the Taliban became a proxy for India.'
International Mediation Efforts and the Path Forward
The rapid escalation has triggered a flurry of diplomatic activity. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire and demanded civilian protection. Qatar's Minister Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi held separate conversations with both countries' foreign ministers in an effort to de-escalate. Turkey's Foreign Minister conducted calls with Pakistan, Afghanistan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
Russia offered mediation through diplomat Zamir Kabulov and called for an immediate ceasefire, while China expressed 'deep concern' over the border escalation. Former U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad suggested a diplomatic agreement with Turkey serving as a monitoring third party.
Despite the martial rhetoric, both sides have left diplomatic channels open. Taliban spokesman Mujahid stated that 'we have repeatedly emphasised a peaceful solution, and still want the problem to be resolved through dialogue,' even as he defended the preemptive strikes. The question is whether domestic political pressures in both countries will allow for the de-escalation that international mediators are seeking, or whether the 'open war' declaration marks the beginning of a protracted conflict along one of Asia's most volatile borders.
Conclusion
The Pakistan-Afghanistan confrontation represents the most dangerous escalation in South Asian security since the Taliban's return to power in 2021. Both countries possess significant military capabilities — Pakistan as a nuclear-armed state with a professional air force, and the Taliban as battle-hardened insurgents-turned-government with asymmetric warfare expertise honed over two decades of conflict.
The stakes extend well beyond the bilateral relationship. A sustained conflict could destabilize the entire region, driving refugee flows, disrupting trade corridors, and creating ungoverned spaces that militant groups like ISIS-K could exploit. Pakistan's accusation that the Taliban is acting as an Indian proxy adds a triangular geopolitical dimension that complicates mediation efforts and raises the specter of a wider strategic competition playing out along the Durand Line.
Whether the current crisis is contained through diplomatic intervention or escalates into sustained hostilities will depend heavily on the coming days. The Qatari and Turkish mediation channels that helped broker the October 2025 ceasefire remain active, and both sides have expressed willingness to talk even as they trade airstrikes and artillery fire. But the 'open war' declaration from Pakistan's defence minister, combined with the Taliban's demonstration that they can strike Pakistani territory with drones and ground forces, has fundamentally changed the calculus for both governments.
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