Tensions along the Durand Line have erupted into clashes, with Pakistan and Afghanistan accusing each other of aggression. Islamabad claims to have captured Afghan posts during airstrikes on TTP hideouts, while Kabul calls the attacks a sovereignty violation. Civilian casualties are rising, and international calls for de-escalation are growing.
Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Clash Intensifies:
Islamabad’s military has launched a major offensive along the Durand Line, alleging the capture of multiple Afghan outposts and the hoisting of its national flag, while Kabul counters with claims of heavy Pakistani losses. This marks the sharpest escalation since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover, raising fears of a broader regional crisis.
Pakistani media and security sources claim forces secured up to 21 Afghan border posts during “Operation Ghazab-lil-Haqq,” a response to alleged unprovoked Afghan fire. Afghan officials, however, describe the actions as sovereignty violations, reporting their own captures and denying any initial aggression. Civilian casualties are mounting, and international calls for de-escalation are growing urgent.
Escalating Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Offensive and Retaliation:
The conflict ignited on February 22 when Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar, Paktika, and Khost provinces, targeting what Islamabad described as TTP militant hideouts. Pakistani officials reported killing at least 70 militants in these strikes, following a surge in deadly attacks within Pakistan attributed to the group. Afghanistan condemned the strikes as violations of its sovereignty, reporting civilian deaths, including children.
By February 26, the Afghan Taliban launched retaliatory operations, firing on Pakistani positions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Afghan forces claimed to have initiated “large-scale offensive operations” in response to repeated border violations, targeting Pakistani military installations across six provinces. Pakistan’s Information Ministry stated that Afghan forces opened “unprovoked fire” at multiple locations, prompting an immediate response.
In retaliation, Pakistan initiated “Operation Ghazab-lil-Haqq,” involving airstrikes on Afghan targets in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia. Security sources in Pakistan reported destroying 12 Afghan border posts, three battalions, a sector headquarters, and over 30 tanks and artillery pieces, while securing five additional posts where the national flag was raised. Some Pakistani media outlets escalated the claim to 21 posts secured, with videos circulating online showing alleged flag-hoisting ceremonies. Afghan officials countered that they had killed 55 Pakistani soldiers, destroyed 19 posts, and captured 15 outposts.
Clashes continued into February 27, with explosions reported in Kabul and heavy fighting along the frontier. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned that his forces could “crush any aggressive ambitions,” while affirming the nation’s support for its military. Casualty figures remain disputed: Pakistan reports two soldiers killed and three injured, alongside over 100 Afghan fighters eliminated; Afghanistan claims minimal losses on its side.