Pakistan Launches Major Airstrikes On Afghanistan, Declares ‘Open War’

Pakistan has launched extensive airstrikes on major Afghan cities, including the capital, Kabul, early Friday, marking a dramatic escalation in tensions with Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities.

The bombardment followed months of rising cross-border clashes and diplomatic breakdowns between the two neighbours.

Residents in Kabul and Kandahar reported hearing loud explosions and fighter jets overhead through the night until dawn. The strikes represent Islamabad’s most significant assault on the Afghan capital and its first known air operation targeting the Taliban’s southern stronghold since the group returned to power in 2021.

Heavy fighting was also reported near the strategic Torkham border crossing. Shelling was heard in the area, and a camp housing Afghans who had recently returned from Pakistan was caught in the crossfire overnight. Witnesses described scenes of panic as families fled for safety.

“Children, women, and old people were running,” said Gander Khan, a 65-year-old returnee staying at the Omari camp, describing the chaos as blasts rang out nearby.

The latest Pakistani offensive came after Afghan forces allegedly attacked Pakistani border troops on Thursday night, an action described as retaliation for earlier airstrikes carried out by Islamabad. The exchange of fire marks the sharpest deterioration in relations between the two countries in recent years.

Border crossings between the two nations have largely remained closed since deadly clashes in October that left more than 70 people dead on both sides. Tensions have continued to simmer amid mutual accusations and mounting security concerns.

Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of failing to curb militant groups operating from Afghan soil. The Taliban authorities deny the allegations.

Many of the recent attacks inside Pakistan have been claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has intensified its operations since the Afghan Taliban regained control of Kabul in 2021.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, described the situation as an “all-out confrontation,” declaring on social media platform X that it was now “open war” between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban government.