According to multiple reports, Pakistan’s defense minister declared an “open war” with Afghanistan on Friday after the two sides exchanged heavy fire along their shared border on Thursday.
Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said in a post on
“Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us,” he said.
The clashes came after the Taliban said they had launched retaliatory attacks on Pakistani military positions, while Islamabad said it was responding to unprovoked fire in the area.
Afghan Taliban fighters patrol near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Spin Boldak, Kandahar province, following gun battles between Pakistani and Afghan forces. (Reuters/Stringer/File Photo)
Reuters reported that both forces clashed for more than two hours along their roughly 1,600-mile border, threatening a ceasefire agreed in 2025 after fighting.
Thursday’s flare-up came after Pakistani forces carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan earlier this week, with Taliban officials saying the strikes killed at least 18 people. Reuters reported on February 24.
Pakistan said it was targeting militant hideouts and rejected claims that civilians were targeted.
The Taliban described an “extensive” military operation against Pakistani army positions in response to the attacks.
“In response to repeated provocations, extensive preventive operations have been launched against Pakistani military positions along the Durand Line,” a Taliban spokesman said. Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on X.
In a separate statement, he said “specialized laser units” were active at night.
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Pakistani and Afghan forces clash after days of hostilities. (Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense/Handout via Reuters)
Taliban military spokesman Mawlawi Wahidullah Mohammadi also said in a video shared with Reuters that the “retaliation operation” began on Thursday evening.
Mujahid said “numerous” Pakistani soldiers had been killed and some had also been captured. Reuters said it could not independently verify these claims.
In another post on
Pakistan has since rejected the Taliban’s account.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said on
The ministry said Taliban forces “misjudged their position and opened unprovoked fire at multiple locations” along the border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The post said the fire was met with an “immediate and effective response from Pakistani security forces.”
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Members of the Taliban sit on a military vehicle during a Taliban military parade in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Reuters/Ali Khara)
“Initial reports confirm heavy losses on the Afghan side, with several posts and equipment destroyed,” the ministry said.
“Pakistan will take all necessary measures to ensure its territorial integrity and the security of its citizens.”
Pakistani security sources also told Reuters that 22 Taliban personnel had been killed and several quadcopters had been shot down.
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The fighting follows Pakistan’s accusations that the Taliban are hiding TTP militants behind a wave of violence and suicide bombings.
The Afghan Taliban denies the claim. A day before the strikes in February, Pakistani officials said they had “irrefutable evidence” that militants were launching attacks from Afghan territory. Reuters reported.
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