Sudden Escalation After Months of Calm
After several months of relative calm, violence along the 2,600-kilometre mountainous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan has sharply intensified. Early Friday, Pakistan launched airstrikes on Kabul and other cities, declaring “open war” following Taliban attacks on its border posts.
Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Islamabad’s patience with the Taliban government had “run out.” Pakistan’s military claimed that Operation Ghazab lil Haq (“Righteous Fury”) killed 133 Taliban fighters and targeted key military installations in Kabul and Kandahar, where Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada resides.
The Taliban confirmed strikes on three provinces and reported retaliatory attacks on Pakistani positions, while Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry said eight of its soldiers were killed. Reports indicate Pakistani forces also seized several border posts, raising their national flag.
The Roots of the Conflict
The current flare-up stems from Pakistan’s long-standing claim that the Taliban harbours Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan. The TTP, formed in 2007, has targeted Pakistan’s army, security forces, and political figures to destabilise the country, carrying out over 1,000 violent incidents in 2025 alone.
Although the TTP is separate from the Afghan Taliban, it maintains ideological and social ties, raising serious security concerns for Islamabad. The Durand Line border itself remains contentious, as Afghanistan has never formally recognised it, arguing it unjustly divides the Pashtun population. The Balochistan Liberation Army has also intensified attacks along the Afghan border, further complicating security in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Regional Politics and India’s Role
Some analysts suggest Pakistan’s frustration is not only about cross-border attacks but also Kabul’s perceived closeness to India. Defence Minister Asif accused the Taliban of turning Afghanistan “into a colony of India” while ignoring Pakistan’s security concerns. He emphasized that Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan refugees over the decades and warned that its “cup of patience has overflowed.”
The Taliban rejected these accusations, insisting that Afghan territory has not been used against any state and that Pakistan’s conflict with TTP is an internal issue. Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have faced multiple Pakistani airstrikes, and despite a Qatar-brokered ceasefire in October 2025, clashes and intermittent exchanges of fire have continued. Several rounds of peace talks last November failed to produce a lasting agreement, leaving the region on edge as tensions escalate once again.
