Pakistan and Afghanistan traded overnight cross-border strikes in a sharp escalation that prompted Pakistan’s defense minister to declare the situation an “open war” on Friday.
Afghan forces carried out attacks across the border late Thursday, describing them as retaliation for Pakistani air raids on Afghan frontier regions earlier in the week. In response, Pakistan launched airstrikes early Friday targeting sites in Kabul and two other provinces, saying the operations were aimed at military facilities.
Afghan government spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said from Kandahar that key Pakistani military targets had been hit, warning that Afghanistan would answer any aggression. He accused Islamabad of refusing to resolve disputes through dialogue.
Following the Afghan strikes, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif wrote on X that Pakistan’s restraint had ended and that the conflict had entered a phase of open warfare. He added that Islamabad had hoped for stability in Afghanistan after NATO’s 2021 withdrawal and expected the Taliban leadership to prioritize governance and regional peace.
Instead, Asif alleged that Afghanistan had become overly aligned with India, Pakistan’s longstanding rival since independence in 1947. Ties between Kabul and New Delhi have strengthened in recent months, including discussions of expanded trade, developments that have irritated Islamabad.
Tensions have simmered for months. Border clashes in October left dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants dead. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities of sheltering militant organizations that launch attacks inside Pakistani territory and of coordinating with India. Kabul denies these allegations.
A ceasefire brokered with Qatari involvement temporarily reduced hostilities, though sporadic exchanges of fire continued. Peace talks held in Istanbul in November failed to yield a durable settlement.
Ongoing fighting and accusations
Officials in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province reported continued clashes around the Torkham border crossing Friday morning. Afghan authorities said Pakistani mortar rounds struck civilian locations, including a refugee camp that had been cleared overnight. They stated that Afghan forces were targeting Pakistani military posts in response.
Asif accused Afghanistan of “exporting terrorism,” a charge Islamabad frequently makes amid a surge in militant attacks within Pakistan. Pakistani officials claim that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and banned Baloch separatist groups operate from Afghan soil with Kabul’s backing. Both the TTP and Afghan authorities reject those claims.
Mujahid countered that Pakistan’s militancy problem is an internal matter and noted that the TTP has been active for nearly two decades.
Pakistan has also accused India of supporting the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army and the Pakistani Taliban, allegations New Delhi denies.
Conflicting casualty claims
Afghanistan said Thursday’s attack was in response to deadly Pakistani airstrikes days earlier. The two governments have presented sharply different casualty figures.
Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said operations killed at least 274 Afghan personnel and affiliated fighters and wounded more than 400. He reported 12 Pakistani soldiers killed, 27 wounded, and one missing.
Mujahid dismissed Pakistan’s casualty figures as fabricated. He claimed 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed, with 23 bodies transferred into Afghanistan, and said “many” others had been captured. According to him, 13 Afghan soldiers were killed and 22 injured, along with 13 civilians. He also reported a bombing at a religious school in Paktika province, though casualty details were not immediately available.
Independent verification of the claims was not possible.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said anti-drone defenses intercepted several small drones over the northwestern cities of Abbottabad, Swabi and Nowshera. He attributed the attempted attack to the Pakistani Taliban and said there were no casualties, alleging it demonstrated links between Afghan authorities and militant activity in Pakistan.
International appeals for calm
Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, held separate phone calls Friday with counterparts from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to discuss the crisis, according to a Turkish official. Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia had previously facilitated talks between the two sides.
Mujahid reiterated that Afghanistan favored a peaceful resolution through dialogue.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres urged both countries to safeguard civilians in line with international law and to pursue diplomatic solutions, according to a statement delivered by U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
Russian diplomat Zamir Kabulov, President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for Afghanistan, called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and said Moscow would consider mediation if requested. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi similarly encouraged dialogue, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan, and offered Tehran’s assistance in facilitating talks.
Refugees caught in the middle
Pakistani authorities said dozens of Afghan refugees near the Torkham crossing were moved to safer locations amid the fighting.
In October 2023, Pakistan began a large-scale campaign to expel undocumented migrants, urging voluntary departures and forcibly removing others. Iran launched a similar crackdown around the same period. Since then, millions have returned to Afghanistan, including individuals born and raised in Pakistan who had established businesses and long-term residences there.
According to the U.N. refugee agency, 2.9 million people returned to Afghanistan in 2025, with nearly 80,000 returning so far this year.
