Airstrikes and Retaliation
After months of relative calm, violence along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border has erupted once again. Early Friday, Pakistan launched airstrikes on Kabul and other Afghan cities, declaring “open war” following Taliban attacks on Pakistani border posts. The operation, named Ghazab lil Haq (“Righteous Fury”), reportedly killed 133 Taliban fighters and targeted key installations in Kabul and Kandahar, home to Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
The Afghan Taliban confirmed strikes in three provinces and said retaliatory attacks on Pakistani forces had begun. Kabul’s Defence Ministry reported eight soldiers killed, while both sides claimed to have targeted military positions along the 2,600-kilometre Durand Line. Pakistani forces also reportedly seized several border posts, raising their flag over them.
Historical Grievances and Militancy
The roots of the conflict run deep. Pakistan accuses the Taliban of sheltering Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants who launch attacks on its territory. Although the TTP is separate from the Afghan Taliban, it shares ideological and cultural ties. The TTP’s goal is to overthrow the Pakistani government, and it carried out more than 1,000 violent incidents in 2025 alone.
The Durand Line itself remains a contentious issue, with Afghanistan never formally recognising the border, arguing that it unjustly divides the Pashtun population. Recent years have also seen increased activity from the Balochistan Liberation Army, intensifying insecurity in Pakistan’s border provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Regional Politics and India Factor
Analysts suggest that Pakistan’s hardline stance is influenced not only by cross-border attacks but also by fears over Afghanistan’s growing ties with India. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif accused the Taliban of turning Afghanistan “into a colony of India,” and warned that Islamabad’s patience had run out after hosting millions of Afghan refugees for decades.
The Taliban government rejects these claims, insisting it seeks good relations with neighbours and that Afghan territory is not being used against Pakistan. Despite a Qatar-brokered ceasefire in October 2025, clashes have continued intermittently, and peace talks last November failed to produce a lasting agreement. With both sides trading heavy strikes and holding entrenched positions, the risk of a full-scale war in the region is growing.
