Pakistan–Afghanistan open war – Pakistan has declared what senior officials describe as an “open war” with Afghanistan after launching air strikes on Kabul and multiple border provinces, marking the most serious military escalation between Pakistan and Afghanistan in years.
The fighting, which intensified overnight along key frontier areas including the Torkham border crossing, has left both sides reporting heavy casualties and raised alarm across the region about the risk of a wider conflict.
The Pakistani military said its air force struck Taliban military installations in Kabul as well as targets in Kandahar and Paktia early on Friday, hours after Afghan forces carried out coordinated cross-border attacks on Pakistani positions in several provinces.
Islamabad described those raids as unprovoked and said its response was necessary to defend national sovereignty after months of mounting security threats emanating from across the border.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the escalation marked a decisive turning point. “Our cup of patience has overflowed. Now it is open war between us and you,” he wrote on social media, framing the strikes as the beginning of a sustained military campaign.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif echoed that message after visiting army headquarters, warning there would be “no leniency” in defending Pakistan’s homeland and declaring that the armed forces were fully prepared to repel any aggression.
Afghan authorities, led by the Taliban government in Kabul, rejected Pakistan’s account and accused Islamabad of violating Afghan sovereignty. Kabul claimed that its forces killed 55 Pakistani soldiers and captured 19 outposts during the initial cross-border assaults.
Pakistan acknowledged the deaths of two soldiers but dismissed the higher figures as exaggerated, saying it had eliminated at least 133 Afghan fighters and destroyed 27 Taliban outposts in retaliation.
Newsmen could not independently verify casualty claims from either side.
The clashes are the culmination of tensions that have been simmering for months.
Pakistan carried out air strikes inside Afghanistan in 2025 following militant attacks on its soil, after which talks mediated in Doha produced a temporary ceasefire. Those negotiations later broke down during follow-up discussions in Turkey, leaving what officials described as an uneasy calm.
In recent weeks, Islamabad has blamed a series of deadly attacks on militant groups operating from Afghan territory, including assaults claimed by ISIL, prompting renewed military action.
Speaking at a news conference as fighting intensified, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar accused the Afghan government of repression and illegitimacy. “They try to subdue women, minorities and children. And they have usurped the basic rights of the citizens of Afghanistan.
And hence, I will term it an illegitimate regime,” he said. Tarar also alleged a direct link between attacks inside Pakistan and militant training across the border, claiming that the Taliban authorities were “totally aligned with terrorists and fully backing terrorists”.
Islamabad has moved quickly to tighten domestic security in response to the escalation. The Ministry of Interior announced an immediate nationwide ban on the outdoor use of quadcopters and unmanned aerial vehicles, citing the prevailing security environment.
The decision followed Afghan claims that their defence ministry had “successfully conducted” drone attacks on military targets in Pakistan. Pakistani officials confirmed that small drones were brought down in Abbottabad, Swabi and Nowshera, though they said no damage was caused.
Diplomatic activity has continued alongside the fighting. Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar held talks with Egypt’s foreign minister Badr Abdelatty, stressing that Pakistan’s response had been “measured but decisive” to what he called unprovoked aggression.
According to a statement from Islamabad, Dar said Pakistan’s armed forces were conducting “successful operations under Operation Ghazb lil Haq to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” while both sides agreed on the importance of regional peace and stability.
At home, Pakistan’s political establishment has rallied behind the government. The Senate passed a resolution “unequivocally condemning” Afghanistan’s attacks and warning that any challenge to Pakistan’s national security would be met with a “firm, proportionate and decisive response”.
The resolution demanded that the Afghan Taliban “immediately cease all hostile actions” and honour international obligations to peaceful coexistence.
Despite the hardening rhetoric, analysts warn that a prolonged conflict would be difficult for either side to sustain.
Sweden-based conflict analyst Abdul Sayed told Al Jazeera that Pakistan’s domestic realities constrain its ability to pursue a full-scale war.
“This limitation stems from the deep ties between the populations of both countries, particularly the tribes residing on either side of the Durand Line,” he said.
“Consequently, despite its substantial military capabilities, Pakistan cannot sustain the large-scale bloodshed that an armed conflict with Afghanistan would entail.”
Sayed added that while the Taliban lack the military capacity to deter sustained aerial attacks, their leadership appears confident based on past experience.
“Drawing on their experience of surviving extensive aerial bombardment in the past, they express confidence in their ability to withstand potential Pakistani air operations,” he said, noting that there is no credible domestic Afghan opposition force ready to exploit any weakening of Taliban control.
On the ground, residents near the border reported fear and disruption as fighting intensified. Smoke was seen rising near Shamshad Ghar, an Afghan military base close to Torkham, after Pakistani air strikes, while movement across key crossings was curtailed.
Aid agencies warned that further escalation could worsen humanitarian conditions in already fragile border communities, where trade and family ties span both sides of the frontier.
For now, both governments appear entrenched, trading accusations and casualty figures while mobilising military and diplomatic resources. Pakistan insists it is acting in self-defence, while Afghanistan vows to retaliate against what it calls violations of its territory.
As one senior Pakistani official privately acknowledged, the confrontation has pushed relations “into uncharted territory”, raising fears that a conflict long managed through uneasy truces could spiral into a wider war unless urgent diplomacy prevails.
