Afghanistan’s Taliban said they were prepared to enter negotiations after Pakistan launched air and ground strikes on Kabul, Kandahar and other Afghan towns, declaring the two former allies to be in “open war.”
A Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the Pakistani attacks — the first direct strikes on Afghanistan’s government amid accusations it harbours militants who target Pakistan — caused civilian casualties, though he gave no further details. Mujahid reiterated that the Islamic Emirate has historically sought to resolve disputes by dialogue and said it now wanted to pursue talks to defuse the situation.
According to the Taliban, Pakistani strikes hit parts of Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia late on Thursday, and continued on Friday in Paktia, Paktika, Khost and Laghman. Islamabad said the action was a large-scale retaliation after Afghan forces struck Pakistani military positions along the shared 2,600-km border.
Pakistani officials provided figures for the campaign, saying roughly 300 Afghan Taliban fighters and members of allied militant groups were killed and more than 450 wounded in ongoing operations. Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar said Pakistan had destroyed 89 Taliban posts, captured 18, and disabled about 135 tanks and armoured vehicles, while the air force targeted 29 locations across Afghanistan.
The operation, code-named Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, was launched after Islamabad said Afghan forces attacked 53 sites along the border. Army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry warned the Taliban to choose between supporting named terrorist organisations — including Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, the Baloch Liberation Army, Daesh and Al Qaeda — or aligning with Pakistan. “Our choice is absolutely clear. It will always be Pakistan over everything,” he said.
The strikes have raised fears of a longer, deeper conflict along the frontier. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said Pakistan’s patience had run out and framed the situation as open war between the countries. Pakistan’s foreign ministry warned any further Taliban provocations or attacks by any “terrorist group” against Pakistanis would prompt a “measured, decisive and befitting response.”
The escalation drew international concern. UN Secretary-General António Guterres, through spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, said he was deeply worried about the violence and its impact on civilians, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urging the parties to pursue diplomacy.
The United States voiced support for Pakistan’s right to defend itself, describing the Taliban as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group and accusing the movement of failing to honour counterterrorism commitments and allowing militants to destabilise the region. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, called for de-escalation and dialogue, stressed that Afghan territory should not be used to threaten other countries, and urged the de facto Afghan authorities to act effectively against terrorist groups operating in or from Afghanistan.
Regional mediation efforts began to take shape. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, offered to mediate and facilitate dialogue, while Saudi Arabia and Qatar were reported to be working behind the scenes to calm tensions. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan spoke with Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, and with Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister, Amir Muttaqi. Turkey said it was in contact with both sides. Doha — which helped halt fighting between the two countries last year — was reportedly coordinating with other nations to try to resolve the latest crisis.
Afghan acting foreign minister Amir Muttaqi told Qatari officials that Afghanistan is not a supporter of violence and prefers to resolve disputes through mutual understanding and respect.
Islamabad has long accused the Afghan Taliban of allowing the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and other militant groups to use Afghan territory for shelter, training and logistics to attack Pakistan. Kabul rejects these allegations and urges Pakistan to deal directly with the militants.
