In overnight operations, Pakistani forces attacked Taliban positions in major Afghan cities, in a move officials described as a dramatic escalation in cross-border conflict. The development signals heightened security risks in the region, with both governments confirming the air and ground assaults and warning of significant casualties.
According to security sources in Pakistan, the military targeted Taliban installations, including command centres and ammunition storage sites, along stretches of the shared border. Confirming these events, a representative for the Taliban stated that Pakistani strikes hit locations within Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia.
Pakistan’s defense minister, Khawaja Asif, announced the operations on social media, describing relations with the Taliban administration as having transitioned to “open war” and stating that Pakistan’s patience had run out.
This outbreak of violence follows a period marked by recurring clashes and deteriorating relations between the two neighbors. The recent surge in fighting jeopardizes a tenuous truce along the 2,600-km frontier and worsens a longstanding dispute.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing safe haven to militants from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a charge Kabul rejects.
