Kabul, Feb. 27, 2026 — Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defence said retaliatory operations along the Durand Line on Thursday killed 55 Pakistani soldiers and captured several posts and equipment.
In a press release the ministry said the action began at about 8 p.m. local time on the 9th of Ramadan (Feb. 26), and was taken in response to what it described as an earlier violation of Afghan territory by Pakistani forces. The statement said Pakistani military elements had “violated Afghan territory, breached our borders, and martyred women and children,” prompting the counter-attacks.
The ministry said Afghan forces struck Pakistani military posts in eastern and southeastern sectors along the 2,611 km Durand Line — a border Kabul has never officially recognized — naming operations near Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Nangarhar, Kunar and Nuristan provinces. According to the Afghan statement, the four-hour operation destroyed two Pakistani military bases and 19 posts, forced soldiers to flee four other posts, destroyed a tank, captured a large transport vehicle, and resulted in the seizure of dozens of light and heavy weapons, ammunition and supplies. Afghan officials reported eight fighters killed and 11 wounded. The ministry also alleged that 13 civilians were injured in a missile strike on a refugee camp in Nangarhar.
Pakistan responded by launching an operation it named “Ghazab Lil Haq,” targeting the Afghan Taliban, several Pakistani news outlets reported. Pakistan’s prime ministerial spokesperson Mosharraf Zaidi — cited by Geo News — was reported as saying the operation had killed 133 Taliban fighters and wounded more than 200, destroyed 27 Taliban posts and captured nine.
Pakistani security forces were reported to have carried out retaliatory actions across multiple border areas, including Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram and Bajaur districts, with media reports saying several Taliban positions were destroyed.
The Afghan Taliban’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Pakistani forces carried out airstrikes in parts of Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia but added there were no reported casualties. He posted: “The cowardly Pakistani military has carried out airstrikes in certain areas of Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia; fortunately, there have been no reported casualties.”
Claims from the Afghan ministry, Pakistani authorities and the Taliban have not been independently verified. Tensions along the Durand Line have persisted for years, and both sides blame the other for cross-border incidents and strikes.
