Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday declared an "open war" with Afghanistan after the Taliban launched an attack on the country in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes on border areas earlier in the week.
The media office of Afghanistan's military corps in the east said in a statement that "heavy clashes" began late on Thursday "in response to the recent air strikes carried out by Pakistani forces in Nangarhar and Paktia" provinces, Al Jazeera reported.
Islamabad confirmed clashes were taking place along the border but dismissed claims that army posts had been captured and called Afghanistan's attack unprovoked. The government had described last Sunday's airstrikes as an attack on militants harboured in the area.
"Our patience has reached its limit. Now it is open war between us and you,” Khawaja Asif posted on microblogging platform X.
The minister also pulled in India into the tensions, falsely alleging that the Taliban has turned Afghanistan "into a colony of India".
Islamabad has been unsettled since India and the Taliban administration restarted formal engagement last year. Senior officials from Kabul, including the Taliban's foreign minister, visited New Delhi last year and sought to rebuild commercial ties.
ALSO READ: Explosions And Aircraft Sounds Heard In Kabul, Hours After Afghanistan Attacks Pakistan
"Pakistan military has acted to repeated provocations and violations" : Major Nadeem, Pakistan defence analyst speaks to NDTV's @ParmeshwarBawa pic.twitter.com/wAqc7M1wUH
— NDTV (@ndtv) February 27, 2026
Three explosions accompanied by the sound of aircraft were heard in Kabul early Friday, hours after Afghanistan launched a cross‑border assault on Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes earlier in the week. The exact locations of the blasts and details of casualties were not immediately known.
Afghanistan's military claimed to have captured more than a dozen Pakistani army posts during Thursday night's offensive, calling it a response to what it described as repeated provocations. Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said large‑scale operations were underway along the Durand Line in five provinces.
Pakistan confirmed clashes along the border but dismissed Kabul's claims of capturing military posts, labelling the attack 'unprovoked.'
Islamabad said two Pakistani soldiers were killed and three wounded, while asserting that 36 Afghan fighters had died. Afghanistan, meanwhile, claimed up to 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed.
"Civilians are being killed, not one terrorist has been killed. Pakistan created this mess" : Mariam Solaimankhil (@Mariamistan), Member of Afghanistan's Parliament in exile to NDTV's @ParmeshwarBawa pic.twitter.com/YODRKSxlcd
— NDTV (@ndtv) February 27, 2026
Fighting was also reported near the Torkham border crossing, prompting authorities on both sides to evacuate nearby refugee settlements and civilian areas. Pakistani police said mortars fired from Afghanistan landed in villages but reported no civilian deaths.
The latest escalation follows months of heightened tensions, intermittent clashes, and accusations over militant activity along the 2,611‑km border that Afghanistan has never formally recognised.
ALSO READ: Explosions And Aircraft Sounds Heard In Kabul, Hours After Afghanistan Attacks Pakistan
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
