Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan flared dramatically this week after cross-border airstrikes and ground assaults triggered one of the most intense confrontations in recent months. Afghanistan’s Taliban-led administration claimed that at least 55 Pakistani troops were killed in retaliatory operations along the disputed Durand Line, following Pakistani air raids on multiple Afghan cities.
Residents of Kabul reported hearing loud explosions and aircraft activity before dawn on Friday, underscoring the sudden deterioration in ties between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, as per reports on AFP. The flare-up came shortly after Taliban officials asserted that their forces had taken control of several Pakistani military outposts near the frontier. Islamabad, however, rejected the casualty figures put forward by Kabul.
Kabul Accuses, Islamabad Counters
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid alleged that Pakistani aircraft struck Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia, though he maintained that no civilians were killed in those strikes. Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defence said its counter-operations began on February 26 during Ramadan, describing them as retaliation for earlier incursions into Afghan territory, reported India Today.
According to the ministry, Afghan forces targeted Pakistani military positions in provinces lining the Durand Line, including Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Nangarhar, Kunar, and Nuristan. Officials claimed two bases and 19 outposts were destroyed, and that military hardware was seized.
Pakistan firmly disputed those claims. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that only two Pakistani soldiers were killed, while 36 Afghan fighters lost their lives in the clashes.
Pakistan Launches ‘Ghazab Lil Haq’ Operation
Pakistan Defense Minister declared ‘open war’ with Afghanistan’s Taliban. Islamabad responded with a military campaign dubbed “Ghazab Lil Haq,” focusing on Taliban positions across border districts such as Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram, and Bajaur. Pakistani officials said 133 Taliban fighters were killed, over 200 injured, and numerous posts dismantled or captured during the operation.
Fighting reportedly subsided around midnight after Pakistani commanders declared that their objectives had been met. Afghan authorities acknowledged eight of their fighters were killed and 11 wounded. They also reported that 13 civilians—including women and children—were injured in a missile strike that hit a refugee camp in Nangarhar.
Torkham Tensions & Migrant Crackdown
Hostilities also extended to the Torkham crossing, a key trade artery between the two countries. Skirmishes there forced evacuations of refugee settlements on the Afghan side and relocations of residents in adjacent Pakistani areas.
The escalation unfolds against the backdrop of Pakistan’s intensified campaign against undocumented Afghan migrants, launched in late 2023. The renewed violence risks deepening instability along one of South Asia’s most volatile frontiers, raising concerns about broader regional fallout if diplomatic channels fail to contain the crisis.
