Pakistan said it carried out air strikes overnight on major Afghan cities, with officials in Islamabad and Kabul reporting an escalation of months-long border clashes. Pakistani officials said the air and ground strikes targeted Taliban military posts, headquarters and ammunition depots in multiple border sectors, and were launched after Afghanistan struck Pakistani border forces.
Both sides reported heavy losses, and Pakistan’s defence minister described the confrontations as an “open war.” Tensions rose after Pakistan began air strikes on militant targets in Afghanistan last weekend. Earlier clashes in October killed dozens of soldiers before negotiations mediated by Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia led to a fragile ceasefire.
Why the neighbours are at odds
Pakistan initially welcomed the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, but relations cooled as Islamabad found the new Afghan authorities less cooperative than hoped. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of sheltering the leadership and fighters of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and militants seeking independence for Pakistan’s Balochistan province. Monitoring group ACLED says militancy has risen every year since 2022, with more attacks by the TTP and Baloch insurgents.
Kabul denies allowing militants to use Afghan territory for attacks on Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban, in turn, accuse Pakistan of harbouring Islamic State fighters — a claim Pakistan rejects. Islamabad says the ceasefire collapsed because militant attacks originating from Afghan territory continued, and repeated clashes and border closures since then have disrupted trade and movement along the rugged frontier.
What sparked the latest clashes?
Pakistani security sources said they had “irrefutable evidence” that militants in Afghanistan were behind a recent wave of attacks and suicide bombings targeting Pakistani military and police. They cited seven planned or successful attacks since late 2024 allegedly linked to militants operating from Afghanistan. One recent strike that killed 11 security personnel and two civilians in Bajaur district was, Pakistan alleges, carried out by an Afghan national and was claimed by the TTP.
Who are the Pakistani Taliban?
The TTP, formed in 2007 by several militant groups active in northwest Pakistan, has attacked markets, mosques, airports, military bases and police stations, and has seized territory along the Afghan border and inside Pakistan, including the Swat Valley. The group was behind the 2012 attack on schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai. The TTP fought alongside the Afghan Taliban against US-led forces and has hosted Afghan fighters in Pakistan. Islamabad has mounted operations against the TTP with mixed results; a major offensive that ended in 2016 sharply reduced attacks for a period.
What happens next?
Analysts expect Pakistan to intensify its military campaign, while Kabul could respond with raids on border posts and more cross-border guerrilla attacks. The two sides are mismatched on paper: the Afghan Taliban’s forces, estimated at about 172,000, are less than a third of Pakistan’s personnel. The Taliban reportedly have at least six aircraft and 23 helicopters, though their condition is unclear and they lack fighter jets or a conventional air force. Pakistan’s armed forces, by contrast, number over 600,000 active personnel, with more than 6,000 armoured fighting vehicles and over 400 combat aircraft, according to 2025 data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies; Pakistan is also a nuclear-armed state.
