Politics
NEW: Pakistan Announces It Is ‘At War’ With Afghanistan’s Taliban Government After Latest Strikes
The Pakistani government announced Friday that it is currently at war with neighboring Afghanistan’s Taliban government after a number of recent suicide bombings and attacks linked to Afghan-based terror networks.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif announced that the nation is in a state of “open war” with Afghanistan after a series of cross-border military actions. The declaration came after Pakistani forces launched airstrikes on Afghan territory, including the capital Kabul, in response to earlier attacks by Afghan forces on Pakistani border positions.
On February 21, the Pakistan Air Force conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar, Paktika, and Khost provinces, targeting alleged militant camps associated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic State – Khorasan Province, commonly known as ISIS-K. Pakistan stated these operations were in retaliation for recent terrorist incidents within its borders, including attacks in Islamabad, Bajaur, and Bannu, which it attributed to groups operating from Afghan soil.
Afghanistan responded with what it referred to as a “cross-border” operation against Pakistani targets along the two nations’ 2,600-kilometer border known as the Durand Line.
Reportedly footage of the Taliban sending reinforcements toward the Pakistan border following recent Pakistani air force strikes inside Afghanistan that killed 18 people (according to the Taliban anyway….).
It seems the US military equipment President Biden gave them is still… pic.twitter.com/4ah74wMHJZ
— Mrgunsngear (@Mrgunsngear) February 26, 2026
In turn, Pakistan initiated Operation Ghazab Lil Haq (Righteous Fury) on Friday, which included airstrikes on military installations in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia provinces. Pakistani officials reported that these strikes resulted in the deaths of over 130 Afghan Taliban operatives, with additional claims of 274 fighters killed.
Afghan officials have confirmed significant casualties on their side but have provided conflicting figures, according to a report from Reuters.
“Our cup of patience has overflowed. Now it is open war between us and you,” Defense Minister Khawaja Asif announced in a statement Friday. In a follow-up comment, Asif accused Afghanistan of triggering the conflict, stating, “there will be chaos and reckoning.”
On the Afghan side, Taliban officials have expressed willingness to negotiate despite the ongoing conflict. No immediate response to the declaration of war has been reported at this time.
Pakistan has carried out strikes against targets in Afghanistan on previous occasions. For instance, in March 2024, Pakistani forces conducted airstrikes in Khost and Paktika provinces targeting TTP hideouts, resulting in civilian casualties and diplomatic protests from Afghanistan.
Similar operations occurred in 2022 and 2023 amid rising TTP activity following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Tensions have simmered since October 2025, when border exchanges of fire led to a fragile ceasefire, though both sides have accused each other of violating the terms.
China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and other regional powers have urged restraint from both sides, while Afghanistan has filed a complaint with the United Nations seeking an immediate halt to Pakistani operations.
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