Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have reached a breaking point as Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, officially declared a state of “open war” between the two nations on February 27, 2026. This dramatic announcement followed a night of heavy military exchanges, including Pakistani airstrikes on major Afghan cities such as Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia. The strikes, part of a newly launched military campaign titled “Operation Ghazab lil-Haq” (Righteous Fury), targeted Taliban military installations and brigade headquarters. Explosions were reported near Kabul International Airport early Friday morning, signaling a significant escalation from previous border skirmishes.
The conflict intensified after Afghan forces launched a large-scale retaliatory offensive against Pakistani border posts late Thursday night. Kabul claimed its troops captured nearly 20 Pakistani military outposts and killed dozens of soldiers in response to previous Pakistani air raids that they allege killed civilians. While Islamabad has dismissed these claims as exaggerated, the Pakistani government stated its forces are delivering a “befitting response” to what they termed “unprovoked aggression.” High-ranking officials in Islamabad, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, have emphasized that Pakistan’s patience has run out and that the military is fully prepared to crush any threats to its sovereignty.
This eruption of violence effectively shatters a fragile, Qatar-mediated ceasefire that had been in place since late 2025. Relations have been spiraling for months, primarily due to Islamabad’s accusations that the Taliban government provides a safe haven for militants carrying out terror attacks inside Pakistan—a claim the Taliban consistently denies. International observers, including the United Nations, have expressed deep concern over the rapidly deteriorating situation, urging both nuclear-armed Pakistan and the Taliban-led Afghan government to exercise restraint and return to diplomatic negotiations to prevent a full-scale regional catastrophe.
