Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani forces struck parts of Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia in the early hours of Friday. Residents in the Afghan capital reported hearing at least three explosions, though officials did not immediately confirm the exact locations or casualty figures.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed that Afghan Taliban defence targets were hit, describing the operation as a response to what Islamabad termed an unprovoked attack on its border troops. The strikes were carried out under an operation named “Ghazab lil Haq,” which officials said began late Thursday night.
Tarar claimed that at least 133 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed and more than 200 wounded. Asif, in a strongly worded message posted on X, said Pakistan’s patience had “reached its limit,” adding that the armed forces were delivering a decisive response to Taliban aggression.
The Taliban offered a dramatically different account. Mujahid asserted that Afghan forces had killed 55 Pakistani soldiers, seized 19 border posts, and launched retaliatory operations in Kandahar and Helmand. He reported eight Taliban fighters killed, 11 wounded, and 13 civilians injured in Nangarhar province. Taliban Deputy Spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat further claimed that a major Pakistani headquarters in Khost Province had been captured, with dozens of soldiers killed or wounded and weapons seized.
Islamabad swiftly rejected those claims. A spokesman for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said no Pakistani posts had been taken or damaged and that Afghan forces had instead suffered heavy losses. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi described the strikes as a “befitting response” to what he called open Taliban aggression, speaking as reports of blasts and gunfire continued to emerge from Kabul and Kandahar.
Addressing the nation later on Friday, Sharif said Pakistan’s armed forces were fully capable of crushing “any aggressive ambitions,” and stressed that the country stood united behind its military.
The current escalation follows a cycle of reprisals that intensified earlier this week. Taliban authorities said their attack on Thursday night was in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes on February 22, which Islamabad had described as targeting militant hideouts near the border. Afghanistan previously claimed to have captured more than a dozen Pakistani Army posts during that exchange, a claim denied by Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry. Islamabad has repeatedly argued that militant attacks inside Pakistan have surged since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, particularly over the past year.
Amid the rapidly deteriorating situation, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi appealed for calm. Writing on X, he said that during Ramadan—a month symbolising restraint and unity—it was fitting for Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their differences through dialogue and good neighbourliness. He added that Tehran stood ready to assist in facilitating talks and strengthening cooperation between the two sides.
The military imbalance between the neighbours remains significant. Pakistan fields roughly 660,000 active personnel, thousands of armoured vehicles and artillery systems, a modern air force with more than 400 combat aircraft, and an estimated nuclear arsenal of about 170 warheads. Afghanistan’s Taliban forces are believed to number around 172,000 personnel, with plans to expand, but rely largely on ageing Soviet-era equipment and limited air capabilities. The Taliban administration’s lack of international recognition has further constrained its military modernisation.
International concern is mounting. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was following the cross-border clashes with alarm and urged both sides to resolve their differences through diplomacy, according to his spokesman.
Relations between the two neighbours have been strained for months, with key land crossings largely shut since deadly fighting in October 2025 that left more than 70 people dead. A Qatar-mediated ceasefire effort now appears fragile, as both governments continue to exchange fire and trade accusations. With rhetoric hardening and military operations intensifying, the prospect of a swift diplomatic breakthrough looks increasingly uncertain.
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