Islamabad – Pakistan declared an “open war” with Afghanistan on Friday, following a series of escalating cross-border strikes and retaliatory attacks, marking the most serious armed confrontation between the two nations since a Qatar-mediated ceasefire was agreed upon in October. The declaration from Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif signals a significant breakdown in already strained relations.
The latest escalation began Thursday night when Afghan forces launched a cross-border attack into Pakistan, targeting areas across six provinces. Kabul stated this attack was in response to Pakistani airstrikes conducted on Sunday, which Pakistan claimed targeted and killed dozens of militants operating within Afghanistan. Afghan officials, however, asserted that the Pakistani strikes resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children.
In the early hours of Friday, Pakistan responded with airstrikes targeting the Afghan capital, Kabul, as well as the provinces of Kandahar and Paktia. At least three explosions were heard in Kabul, according to reports. Pakistan’s federal minister for information and broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, claimed the strikes killed 133 Afghan Taliban officials and wounded over 200, though independent verification of these figures remains unavailable. Fighting resumed later Friday, continuing throughout the day.
The conflict centers on Pakistan’s accusations that Afghanistan is providing safe haven to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group responsible for a surge in violence within Pakistan, including suicide bombings and coordinated assaults on security forces. The TTP, formed in 2007, aims to enforce stricter Islamic laws, secure the release of imprisoned members, and reduce the Pakistani military presence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The United Nations and the United States have designated the TTP as a terrorist organization.
While Afghanistan denies harboring the TTP, the group shares close ties with the Afghan Taliban, which seized power in 2021. Many TTP leaders and fighters are believed to have sought refuge in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power, exacerbating tensions. A short-lived ceasefire brokered by Afghanistan between the TTP and Pakistan in 2022 collapsed after Pakistan accused its military of violating the agreement.
The current crisis is rooted in a long and complex history. Pakistan was one of only three countries to recognize the first Taliban government in 1996, but shifted its alignment after the September 11, 2001 attacks, joining the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. This shift angered Islamist militant groups within Pakistan.
Much of the tension is focused along the 2,611-kilometer (1,622-mile) Durand Line, the internationally recognized border between the two countries. Established in 1893 by British diplomat Mortimer Durand, the line bisects the Pashtun tribal areas, Afghanistan’s largest ethnic group and the origin of the Afghan Taliban. Afghanistan does not recognize the Durand Line as a legitimate border, and both countries routinely accuse each other of failing to prevent militant activity along it.
Tensions have been building for months, reaching a peak last year with deadly clashes that resulted in numerous civilian and military casualties. Following an ambush on an army convoy in Pakistan’s Orakzai district on October 8, which killed 11 soldiers, Pakistan launched strikes inside Afghanistan, prompting further cross-border clashes. A Qatari-mediated ceasefire in mid-October temporarily halted the fighting, but repeated strikes and skirmishes have continued in the frontier area since then.
Peace talks held in Istanbul in November failed to yield a lasting solution. The situation has been further complicated by Pakistan’s recent crackdown on foreigners living in the country without legal status, primarily affecting Afghan refugees. Over two million Afghans in Pakistan, including those born there, are impacted by the crackdown, adding to the humanitarian challenges in Afghanistan. Iran, Afghanistan’s western neighbor, has also been conducting expulsions, straining resources in the already impoverished nation.
The escalating conflict has raised concerns within the international community, particularly given the presence of other militant groups, including al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, in the region. Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have been involved in facilitating talks between the two sides. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke with his Pakistani, Afghan, Qatari and Saudi counterparts on Friday, seeking a diplomatic resolution.
Russia has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a diplomatic solution. As of Friday, no further talks have been scheduled, and Pakistan’s defense minister has proclaimed “open war,” leaving the future of the fragile ceasefire and regional stability uncertain.