Pakistan Declares 'Open War' with Afghanistan After Cross-Border Strikes
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have erupted into what Pakistan's defense minister is calling an 'open war,' marking a severe escalation in long-standing border disputes. The conflict intensified after Afghan Taliban forces launched cross-border attacks on Pakistani troops. In response, Pakistan conducted a series of airstrikes targeting the Afghan capital, Kabul, as well as Kandahar and Paktia provinces, with journalists reporting blasts and jet activity through the night. Pakistani officials claimed the strikes killed 133 Afghan Taliban forces and destroyed numerous military posts and vehicles. The hostilities are part of a cycle of retaliation, with the Taliban stating its initial attack was a response to earlier Pakistani strikes inside Afghanistan. The fighting has caused civilian displacement, with residents of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province fleeing their homes. Conflicting reports from both sides obscure the full casualty figures and extent of the damage, but the exchange represents one of the most significant military confrontations between the two nations in recent years. This latest flare-up underscores the deep-seated tensions along the porous border, a region long plagued by militancy. The situation raises serious concerns about regional stability and the potential for a prolonged conflict between the nuclear-armed Pakistani state and the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan.
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Pakistan's defense minister says that there is now 'open war' with Afghanistan after latest strikes : NPR
Pakistan's defense minister said that his country ran out of "patience" and considers that there is now an "open war" with Afghanistan, after both countries launched strikes following an Afghan cross-border attack.
“We had to leave our homes in ... told NBC News as he fled the Tirah Valley, a mountainous region in the Khyber district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Hours later, Pakistan said it had struck military targets in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, as well as Kandahar and Paktia provinces in response to what it called “unprovoked Afghan attacks.” · The Taliban said its attacks were in retaliation for Pakistan’s deadly strikes on Afghan ...
Journalists in Kabul and Kandahar heard blasts and jets overhead until dawn, as Pakistan launched air strikes on the Afghan capital and the southern power base of the Taliban authorities. Pakistan’s latest operation came after Afghan forces attacked Pakistani border troops on Thursday night ...
Pakistan bombs Kabul: Why are Afghanistan and Pakistan fighting? | Conflict News | Al Jazeera
Reports from each side are conflicting. Mosharraf Zaidi, the spokesperson for Pakistan’s prime minister, wrote on X early on Friday that in the attack on Friday morning, 133 Afghan Taliban forces had been killed and more than 200 were wounded. He added that 27 Afghan Taliban posts had been destroyed, and nine had been captured. More than 80 “tanks, artillery pieces, and armed personnel carriers have been destroyed”, he wrote. Pakistani news ...
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