Pakistan's Defense Minister has declared that his country is in a state of "open war" with Afghanistan. This statement comes after Islamabad carried out airstrikes on Afghan territory, including the capital Kabul.
The editorial reports, citing the BBC, that Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif stated, "our patience has run out." These attacks followed an announcement by the Afghan Taliban of a large-scale operation against Pakistani military posts located on the border on Thursday night.
These latest events are a continuation of clashes that have occurred in recent months, despite a fragile ceasefire agreed upon in October between the two neighboring countries. Negotiations held last year failed to reach a broader agreement to end hostilities completely, with both sides accusing each other of not taking the talks seriously.
According to the Taliban side, a "revenge operation" began on Thursday at approximately 8:00 PM local time (3:30 PM GMT). They claimed to have captured 19 Pakistani military posts and two bases, with 55 Pakistani soldiers killed. The BBC could not confirm these claims.
Pakistan responded immediately, stating that the Taliban had "miscalculated and fired unprovoked fire on numerous locations in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the northwest of the country." It was noted that Islamabad's security forces provided an "immediate and effective response" to these attacks.
Pakistan subsequently carried out a series of bombings on targets in Afghanistan on Thursday morning, including in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktika. These operations were described as a response to "unprovoked Afghan attacks." These three cities are close to the 2600 km long Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Pakistan Army spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated that 22 Afghan military targets were hit and over 200 Taliban fighters were killed. He also added that at least 12 Pakistani soldiers had died. However, Taliban spokesperson Mujahid noted that only 13 Taliban fighters were killed and 22 were injured, with 13 civilians injured and an unknown number killed. The BBC could not confirm these figures.
During these clashes, both sides claimed to have suffered minimal damage while inflicting heavy losses on the other. Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, in a post published on the X platform but later deleted, announced that the group had carried out attacks on Pakistani military positions in the Afghan provinces of Kandahar and Helmand on Thursday morning.
The Afghan Taliban stated that they carried out airstrikes on several targets in Pakistan on Friday morning. Sources within the Taliban government told the BBC that these attacks were carried out with drones operated from Afghanistan. Pakistan's Information Minister Attar Tarar stated that the country's army had thwarted attacks by Afghan drones targeting the cities of Swabi, Nowshera, and Abbottabad (a military garrison city where the army's military academy is located).
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that his country's forces "have the full capability to crush any aggressive ambitions" and vowed that "no compromise will be made in defending their dear homeland."
Taliban officials in Afghanistan claimed on Friday that Pakistani rockets were fired at a refugee camp in Nangarhar (recently housing Afghan citizens arriving from Pakistan), injuring at least nine people. The BBC could not confirm this information. Residents and local officials in the attacked Afghan cities informed the BBC Afghan service that the situation had calmed down since the attacks, but people on both sides of the border remained in a state of high alert.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan and they agreed to "stay in close contact regarding the developing events," with both emphasizing "the importance of peace and stability," the ministry stated. Dar, who was on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, also held a similar conversation with the country's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
Meanwhile, Iran offered to "facilitate dialogue" between Pakistan and Afghanistan, urging them to "resolve their differences through good neighborliness and dialogue." British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also called on the parties to resume negotiations, "take urgent steps to de-escalate tensions, and avoid further harm to civilians."
Although a fragile ceasefire was agreed upon between the two countries in October, negotiations failed to reach a broader agreement to end hostilities completely, with both sides accusing each other of not taking the talks seriously. Pakistan has long accused the Afghan Taliban government of supporting "anti-Pakistan terrorists" and holds them responsible for suicide attacks in the country, including one at a mosque in the capital.