Pakistan's War with Afghanistan

On Sunday, February 22, Pakistan announced that it had carried out airstrikes against armed groups in Afghanistan. Kabul reported that dozens of people, including children, were killed in the attacks. The targets were said to be seven camps and hideouts belonging to the Pakistani Taliban (TTP). The strikes were Pakistan’s response to a wave of suicide bombings within its territory. On February 6, the country suffered its deadliest terrorist attack since 2008. The attack took place at a Shia mosque in Islamabad, killing 40 people. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombing. Pakistani authorities stated that Afghanistan was failing to take action against armed groups operating on its soil.

Afghanistan responded to the bombings by seizing several Pakistani outposts on Thursday, February 26. Afghan forces shelled positions in the mountainous areas of northwestern Pakistan, leading to a two-hour exchange of fire between the sides.

Pakistan retaliated. During the night from Thursday to Friday, airstrikes targeted Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, as well as the provinces of Kandahar and Paktia. Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declared an “open war” against the Taliban. “Our patience has run out,” he announced on the X platform. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured that Islamabad’s forces “have full capability to curb any aggressive ambitions” of Afghanistan.

According to the Pakistani news outletDawn, 133 Afghan Taliban fighters have been killed in the clashes so far. The Pakistan Air Force reportedly destroyed an ammunition depot in Nangarhar Province. Fighting also broke out near the Torkham border crossing.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have sharply deteriorated in recent months. The most recent, unprecedented armed confrontation occurred in mid-October of the previous year. The Pakistani side maintains that both the Islamic State and the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) are planning attacks on Pakistan from Afghan territory. It should be noted that Pakistan’s military capabilities far exceed those of Afghanistan. Pakistan is a nuclear-armed state and has long ranked among the fifteen largest armies in the world. The Taliban, however, possess extensive experience in guerrilla warfare.