Fresh air and ground strikes between Pakistan and Afghanistan have sharply escalated months of border tensions, with Islamabad’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif describing the situation as an “open war”.
Explosions were reported in Kabul as fighting intensified along the frontier known as the Durand Line, the disputed boundary separating the two countries.
Here’s what’s behind the crisis:
What happened?
Pakistan says it carried out overnight air and ground strikes targeting Taliban military posts, headquarters and ammunition depots inside Afghanistan after Afghan forces launched attacks on Pakistani border positions.
Afghanistan’s Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Kabul had begun “large-scale offensive operations” against Pakistani military targets along the Durand Line.
Both sides have claimed heavy casualties. Pakistan says 133 Taliban fighters were killed and two of its security personnel died. Afghanistan claims 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed and eight of its fighters died. The figures have not been independently verified.
Countries around the world have urged restraint as the situation risks spiralling further.
Why are the neighbours at odds?
Tensions have steadily worsened since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Then-prime minister Imran Khan had welcomed their takeover, saying Afghans had “broken the shackles of slavery”.
But relations soon deteriorated.
Islamabad accuses Kabul of allowing the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate from Afghan soil. The TTP — often called the Pakistani Taliban — has carried out deadly attacks on markets, mosques, airports, military bases and police stations across Pakistan.
Formed in 2007 by militant factions in northwest Pakistan, the TTP shares ideological and social ties with the Afghan Taliban but operates as a separate group. It fought alongside the Afghan Taliban against US-led forces and has long used rugged border areas as safe havens.
Pakistan also alleges that Baloch separatist militants use Afghan territory to stage attacks in its southwestern province of Balochistan. Kabul denies providing sanctuary to any anti-Pakistan militants.
For its part, the Afghan Taliban accuse Pakistan of harbouring fighters linked to Islamic State, a charge Islamabad rejects.
What sparked the latest clashes?
Pakistani security officials say they had “irrefutable evidence” linking militants based in Afghanistan to a recent wave of attacks and suicide bombings inside Pakistan.
They cited multiple planned or executed attacks since late 2024. One assault in Bajaur district last week, which killed 11 security personnel and two civilians, was allegedly carried out by an Afghan national and claimed by the TTP.
Pakistan says the cross-border threat left it with little choice but to strike militant targets inside Afghanistan.
Has this happened before?
Yes. Border clashes in October killed dozens of troops on both sides before mediation by regional players led to a fragile ceasefire. That truce has since collapsed, with repeated skirmishes, border closures and trade disruptions.
Militant violence inside Pakistan has risen since 2022, with attacks by the TTP and Baloch insurgents increasing year on year, according to conflict monitoring groups.
How do the militaries compare?
On paper, Pakistan holds a decisive advantage.
Pakistan’s armed forces have more than 600,000 active personnel, thousands of armoured vehicles and over 400 combat aircraft. The country is also nuclear-armed.
The Taliban’s estimated 172,000 fighters have limited air capability — reportedly a handful of aircraft and helicopters, with no effective fighter jet fleet.
Analysts say Pakistan could intensify air and artillery strikes, while Afghan retaliation may take the form of cross-border raids and guerrilla-style attacks on frontier posts.
What happens next?
With rhetoric hardening and both sides reporting mounting casualties, the risk of prolonged conflict is rising. Diplomatic pressure is building, but unless a new ceasefire is negotiated, sporadic cross-border fighting could continue — deepening instability along one of South Asia’s most volatile frontiers.