Pakistan Afghanistan Border Crisis Escalates With Open War Declaration

Pakistan and Afghanistan traded airstrikes, artillery and gunfire along the Durand Line on 26 and 27 February, as Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq and Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif declared what Islamabad now calls an "open war" with the Taliban administration in Kabul, following what Pakistan described as Afghan cross-border attacks on its troops.

Heavy fighting and competing battlefield claims stretched from the Afghan capital Kabul to Kandahar, Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Nangarhar, Kunar and Nuristan, with both governments reporting dozens of military deaths and injuries. Pakistan said its forces destroyed Taliban positions and ammunition depots, while Afghan authorities claimed to have overrun several Pakistani posts along the 2,611-kilometre frontier.

Operation Ghazab lil-Haq and airstrike claims

State broadcaster PTV News said Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq after what Islamabad called "unprovoked aggression" by Afghan forces, including a cross-border assault that Kabul said killed 55 Pakistani soldiers. Officials briefed local media that counter strikes were authorised against Taliban military infrastructure, with multiple phases of the operation reported across several Afghan provinces.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistan’s campaign formed part of a larger effort called Operation Ghazab lil-Haq and Operation Ghazab-lil-Haqq, with security sources telling Geo TV and ARY News that Pakistan Air Force jets hit command centres, logistics hubs and frontline posts in Kabul, Kandahar, Nangarhar and Paktia, targeting brigade and corps headquarters and an ammunition depot.

Conflicting casualty figures on both sides

Tarar said 133 Afghan Taliban operatives had been killed and more than 200 injured in strikes around Kabul, Paktika and Kandahar. He added that "Afghan Taliban defence targets in Kabul, Paktika, and Kandahar were targeted, with the possibility of further casualties," while also stating: "Twenty-seven posts of the Afghan Taliban regime destroyed, 9 posts captured," along with over 80 tanks, artillery guns and armoured personnel carriers.

Earlier state briefings cited lower figures, with Tarar saying two Pakistani security personnel had been martyred and three wounded, while at least 36 Afghan Taliban operatives were reported killed. Later government tallies raised the number of Afghan fighters killed to between 44 and 72 in different phases, with claims of more than 16 posts destroyed and seven captured, plus a large ammunition depot, a battalion headquarters and a sector headquarters.

Afghan operations along the Durand Line

Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defence said its forces launched a four-hour retaliatory operation along the Durand Line at 8pm on 26 February, the 9th of Ramadan, in response to what Kabul said was a Pakistani strike that killed women and children. The ministry said 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed during those operations, a figure Pakistan firmly rejected.

Afghan officials said their units targeted posts in Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Nangarhar, Kunar and Nuristan, destroying two bases, seizing 19 posts and capturing weapons, vehicles and other equipment. Kabul reported eight Afghan fighters killed and 11 wounded in the same fighting, while saying 13 civilians were injured when a missile struck a refugee camp in Nangarhar province.

Summary of casualty and damage claims

Both sides released highly divergent accounts of deaths, injuries and destroyed positions, making independent verification difficult. Pakistan denied losing any posts, while Afghan spokespersons insisted Pakistani positions had been captured, including more than a dozen sites along the border, and claimed prisoners were taken during clashes.

Side	Claimed enemy military deaths	Claimed own military deaths	Posts reported destroyed / seized
Pakistan (various briefings)	36 to 133 Afghan Taliban fighters	2 Pakistani soldiers	16 Afghan posts destroyed, 7 captured
Afghanistan (various statements)	"up to 55" Pakistani soldiers	8 Afghan fighters	At least 19 Pakistani posts seized

Airstrikes on Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia

Security sources told ARY News that Pakistan Air Force jets hit Taliban military facilities in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia, allegedly destroying two brigade headquarters in Kabul. In Kandahar, strikes reportedly targeted an army corps headquarters, a brigade base, an ammunition depot and a logistics facility, while a corps headquarters in Paktia was also said to be struck.

Geo TV reported that Pakistan Air Force aircraft hit a major ammunition depot in Nangarhar, also under the Operation Ghazab-lil-Haqq banner, and that three Afghan battalions and a sector headquarters were destroyed, along with more than 30 tanks, artillery guns and armoured personnel carriers. The footage of strikes released by Pakistan could not be independently verified.

Afghan 'large-scale offensive operations’ and renewed attacks

Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on X that "large-scale offensive operations were launched against Pakistani military bases and military installations along the Durand Line" after repeated Pakistani airstrikes. Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry said fighting was under way across five border provinces and claimed some Pakistani troops had been captured.

Mujahid later announced further "large-scale offensive operations" at the border "in response to repeated violations by the Pakistani military". Afghan authorities said forces attacked Pakistani military posts in Kandahar and Helmand, following what Kabul called revenge operations in eastern and south-eastern regions. Pakistan disputed these accounts and insisted that no Pakistani positions had fallen.

Jets, explosions and overnight attacks in Afghan cities

Residents and AFP journalists in Kabul reported loud explosions and the sound of jets overhead early on 27 February, followed by sustained gunfire that continued for more than two hours. Later, a separate large blast rocked the capital as Pakistan widened its strikes on what Islamabad described as Taliban military facilities.

An AFP reporter in Kandahar, where Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada is based, also heard jets over the city as blasts were reported. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the Pakistani airstrikes in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia, but said no casualties had occurred from those specific attacks, a claim contradicted by other Afghan officials.

Pakistan declares 'open war’ and issues warnings

Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said Pakistan had "run out of patience" following fresh cross-border strikes and now viewed ties with Kabul through the prism of direct conflict. He said Islamabad had hoped for peace after NATO’s withdrawal and expected the Taliban to focus on welfare and regional stability, but that those expectations were not met.

In a post on X, Asif said Pakistan had repeatedly sought stability on its western frontier but could no longer tolerate what Islamabad considered cross-border aggression. "Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us," Asif said, without mentioning the Qatar-mediated ceasefire that had earlier been discussed between the two sides.

PM Shehbaz Sharif and ministers stress 'crushing response’

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif backed the military campaign and warned Afghanistan against further escalation. "Our forces have the full capability to crush any aggressive ambitions," Sharif said, according to the Pakistani government’s X account, adding: "The entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the Pakistan armed forces," in remarks aimed at signalling domestic unity.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also underlined support for the armed forces, saying Pakistan’s latest strikes on Afghanistan were a "befitting response" after Taliban units allegedly attacked Pakistani border troops. "Pakistan's armed forces have given a befitting response to the Afghan Taliban's open aggression," Naqvi said, describing coordinated air and ground operations in Kabul and Kandahar.

Political leaders and diplomats comment on the crisis

Political leaders across Pakistan’s spectrum voiced support for the security forces while calling for careful handling of tensions. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told domestic audiences that the military was delivering a "crushing response" to what Islamabad considered aggression, and urged political rivals, particularly PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa leadership, to rally behind the federal government.

PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said Pakistan "will establish peace with our neighbors wherever possible, but we will never hesitate to counter the threats posed to Pakistan from their side." Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi defended earlier Pakistani airstrikes as "precision strikes" on Pakistani Taliban training camps, insisting Pakistan had "nothing against the people of Afghanistan."

Iran offers to facilitate dialogue

Amid growing fears of wider instability, Iran offered to help mediate between the two neighbours. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X that Tehran was prepared to assist both in easing tensions and in opening channels of communication, emphasising the importance of regional stability as clashes deepened along the border.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to provide any assistance necessary to facilitate dialogue and to enhance understanding and cooperation between the two countries," Araghchi said, positioning Iran as a possible intermediary as Pakistan and Afghanistan traded increasingly sharp accusations and military blows.

Fighting near Torkham and reports of civilians wounded

Heavy exchanges of fire spread to the Torkham crossing, a key land route that has mostly remained shut since October but stayed open for Afghans returning from Pakistan. AFP reporters near Torkham on the Afghan side heard gunfire and incoming shelling from around 9:30am, before being ordered away from the area by security forces.

An Afghan official, Nangarhar information chief Qureshi Badlun, said civilians were wounded when a camp for returnees near Torkham was hit. "A mortar shell has hit the camp and unfortunately seven of our refugees have been wounded, and the condition of one woman is serious," Badlun said, adding that Afghan authorities were moving people away from the frontline.

Omari camp and refugee movements on both sides

The Omari camp, which accommodates Afghans returning en masse from Pakistan near Torkham, came under fire overnight as clashes intensified. Residents described panic as explosions sounded close to tent rows, forcing many families to flee once again despite already being displaced from Pakistan by stricter residency rules and deportations.

"Children, women, and old people were running," said Gander Khan, a 65-year-old returnee, standing beside canvas tents. "Here, nearby, a bullet (explosives) hit. I saw blood, it wounded two or three children, and two or three women," Khan told AFP, highlighting the immediate human cost as artillery and small arms fire reached civilian sites.

Cross-border fire and local evacuations

Separate firefights were reported near other crossing points as well. Pakistani police said mortars fired from Afghanistan landed in villages near Torkham, prompting residents to shift towards safer locations, though there were no confirmed civilian deaths on the Pakistani side. Officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa monitored possible displacement from border districts.

Afghan authorities said they evacuated parts of the refugee camp near Torkham and moved injured civilians to local hospitals. Kabul also accused Pakistan of earlier strikes on civilian areas, including a madrassa and residential homes, allegations Islamabad rejected as inaccurate while maintaining that only military targets had been selected.

Pakistani claims on Taliban military infrastructure

Pakistani officials said the air and ground operations inflicted extensive damage on Taliban infrastructure. PM’s spokesperson on Foreign Media Mosharraf Zaidi said counter strikes were being carried out in several iterations, with a claimed total of 72 Afghan Taliban combatants terminated, more than 120 injured, 16 posts destroyed and seven captured, plus key command sites neutralised.

Zaidi and state media said more than 36 tanks, artillery guns and armoured personnel carriers were destroyed, figures echoed by PTV News, which cited similar numbers above 30 vehicles. Reports from Bajaur said Afghan Taliban fire hit a mosque roof, causing severe damage, while Pakistani jets allegedly destroyed an ammunition depot in Nangarhar during one phase of the raids.

Afghan government response and denial of casualties from some strikes

Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry said eight of its soldiers had been killed in ground operations while claiming Pakistani strikes on Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia caused no fatalities, a position supported by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid regarding specific air raids. Afghan officials, however, acknowledged wounded civilians near Torkham and injuries at refugee camps.

Deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat claimed "up to 55" Pakistani soldiers had been killed and said some had been captured in battles along the Durand Line, assertions Islamabad dismissed. Afghan statements also said operations stretched over five border provinces, with forces attempting to repel further Pakistani strikes and maintain control of newly captured posts.

Pakistan Air Force releases strike footage

Pakistan released video material purporting to show overnight airstrikes hitting Taliban military facilities in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktika. Local media said the Pakistan Air Force targeted training and command centres, including two brigade headquarters in Kabul that Pakistan claimed were destroyed, as part of coordinated attacks following Afghan cross-border assaults.

The footage, circulated by Pakistani outlets, followed reports of at least three large explosions and the roar of aircraft over Kabul. Residents described hearing blasts and gunfire through the night, but independent observers said they could not verify the scale of destruction, casualties or the exact nature of the sites shown in the videos.

Background tensions and fragile ceasefire efforts

The latest violence followed months of growing mistrust, with Pakistan accusing Kabul of harbouring the Pakistani Taliban and Afghanistan objecting to Pakistani strikes and border controls. Earlier efforts at a Qatar-mediated ceasefire now appeared fragile, after Asif’s "open war" remarks and Kabul’s insistence that its operations were legitimate self-defence.

Analysts in the region noted that the Torkham land border, largely closed since October except for Afghan returnees, had become a symbol of the standoff. While limited crossings continued for those sent back from Pakistan, renewed shelling and small arms fire raised fears of further displacement and disruptions to already strained trade and travel routes.

The escalation along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border has left both sides presenting starkly different narratives on casualties and control of frontline posts, while civilians in places like Torkham and Nangarhar face mounting risks. With Iran offering to "facilitate dialogue" and regional concern rising, attention now rests on whether Islamabad and Kabul maintain large-scale operations or step back from further confrontation.