February 27, 2026 / 12:28 AM EST / AFP
Pakistan launched air and ground strikes against multiple Afghan cities, including Kabul, on Friday, and its defense minister said the two countries were now in an “open war” after months of escalating cross-border clashes.
AFP reporters in Kabul and Kandahar heard warplanes and a series of explosions as Pakistani forces struck targets in the Afghan capital and in the Taliban’s southern stronghold. Pakistani officials said operations also hit sites in Paktia and Kandahar provinces.
The strikes followed an Afghan attack on Pakistani border troops late Thursday, itself reported to be a response to earlier Pakistani strikes. Ties between the neighbors have frayed since heavy fighting in October that left more than 70 dead and most border crossings largely closed.
Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said weapons and defense targets linked to the Afghan Taliban were hit in Kabul, Paktia and Kandahar. Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declared ‘an all-out confrontation’ with the Taliban administration, saying Pakistan’s patience had reached its limit and that the situation had become open warfare. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned Pakistan’s military could crush any aggressive ambitions.
In Kabul, residents and journalists reported repeated blasts and gunfire over several hours. The Taliban government confirmed Pakistani air strikes; spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said there were no Taliban casualties and said the movement had launched large-scale offensive operations at the border in response to repeated Pakistani violations. Afghanistan’s defense ministry reported eight Afghan soldiers killed in the land offensive.
Local officials said civilians were wounded near the Torkham crossing at a temporary camp for people returning from Pakistan. Nangarhar province information chief Qureshi Badlun said a mortar struck the camp, injuring seven returnees, including a woman in serious condition. Although the border has been largely closed since October, some returnees have been allowed to cross.
Both sides have reported dozens of military casualties in recent rounds of violence. The Taliban claimed several Pakistani soldiers were captured alive; Islamabad’s prime minister’s office denied that assertion.
The UN mission in Afghanistan said Pakistani strikes on Nangarhar and Paktika overnight into Sunday killed at least 13 civilians. Earlier in the week, both sides reported cross-border fire without immediate casualties.
The escalation occurs amid a wave of deadly attacks across the region in recent months, including an Islamabad mosque attack that killed at least 40 people and an IS-K-claimed bombing at a Kabul restaurant last month. Pakistan accuses the Taliban government of failing to act against militants who carry out attacks in Pakistan; the Taliban deny providing safe haven.
Previous efforts to stabilize the situation — including a Qatar- and Turkey-brokered ceasefire and follow-up talks — failed to secure a lasting settlement. Saudi mediation recently secured the release of three Pakistani soldiers captured in October, but violations of the ceasefire have continued and diplomacy has yet to halt the latest hostilities.