Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif has declared an “open war” with Afghanistan, stating that the nation’s patience has run out following a series of cross-border attacks by Taliban forces. Overnight airstrikes targeted Kabul, the Afghan capital, as well as Kandahar in the south and Paktia province in the southeast.1019
Minister’s Strong Statement
Asif accused the Taliban of turning Afghanistan into an Indian colony, harboring global militants, and exporting terrorism. “Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us,” he stated on X. He further criticized the Taliban for violating basic human rights, including women’s rights protected under Islam, despite prior diplomatic efforts for regional stability.11
Triggering Incidents and Retaliation
The strikes respond to a Taliban offensive on Thursday against Pakistani military posts near the border, where Afghan forces claimed to kill numerous soldiers—a claim denied by Pakistan’s Prime Minister spokesperson. Islamabad reports two soldiers killed and three injured in the initial Afghan incursion. A Taliban spokesperson later confirmed retaliatory attacks on Pakistani troops via a now-deleted X post.23
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif affirmed that forces possess full capability to crush aggressions. “There will be no compromise on the defence of the beloved homeland and every aggression will be met with a befitting reply,” he declared on the government’s X account.45
Conflicting Casualty Reports
Casualty figures differ sharply. Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry claims 55 Pakistani soldiers killed—including some whose bodies were recovered—and several captured alive, alongside eight Afghan soldiers killed and 11 wounded. They assert destruction of 19 Pakistani army positions and two bases during four hours of fighting ending around midnight.3754
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed two troops killed and three injured. Prime Minister spokesperson Mosharraf Ali Zaidi reported at least 133 Afghan combatants killed, over 200 wounded, 27 positions demolished, and nine fighters captured, with further losses in Kabul, Paktia, and Kandahar strikes. Two anonymous senior Pakistani security sources noted Afghan forces at border outposts raising white flags, signaling surrender, as Pakistani troops dismantled key Taliban strongholds.4546
Regional Tensions and Refugee Impact
Pakistan has long accused India of backing groups like the Baloch Liberation Army and Pakistani Taliban—allegations New Delhi denies. Asif highlighted pre-escalation diplomacy post-NATO withdrawal, hoping for Afghan focus on welfare and stability.
Fighting prompted relocation of dozens of Afghan refugees awaiting return at the Torkham border crossing. Pakistan’s crackdown on undocumented migrants since October 2023 has seen nearly 3 million returns last year alone, per U.N. data, with 80,000 more this year.38
