Pakistan and Afghanistan traded airstrikes and artillery fire on in one of the most dramatic escalation of tensions between the two neighbours in years. What began as cross-border exchanges spiralled into coordinated military operations, with both sides accusing the other of unprovoked aggression and claiming heavy casualties.
Pakistani officials characterised their actions – called Operation ‘Ghazab lil-Haq’ – as a response to ‘unprovoked aggression’ from Afghan territory. Authorities in Kabul – under the rule of the Taliban – accused Islamabad of violating Afghan sovereignty and striking civilian areas.
Both Pakistan and Taliban government offer conflicting claims on the casualties, reports of destroyed border posts, and shuttered crossings had deepened fears that a long-simmering crisis had crossed into open warfare.
In this explainer, HT examines what has happened today, how the crisis built up over the past year, and what it means for civilians living along one of the world’s most volatile borders.
What happened between Pakistan and Afghanistan today?
According to Pakistani military statements, fighter jets and long-range artillery struck what Islamabad described as militant infrastructure and Taliban military positions inside Afghanistan, including targets near Kabul and Kandahar.
Pakistan said Operation Ghazab lil-Haq was launched after Afghan forces allegedly attacked multiple Pakistani border posts overnight, resulting in military casualties. Senior officials framed the strikes as an act of self-defence aimed at dismantling networks responsible for cross-border attacks.
Afghan authorities offered a sharply different version. Taliban spokesperson said Afghan forces had launched operations against Pakistani positions in retaliation for earlier Pakistani air and drone strikes on Afghan soil. They accused Pakistan of escalating the conflict and claimed to have inflicted heavy losses on Pakistani troops.
A resident of Dashti Barchi in Kabul’s District 6, which is near the area reportedly targeted by Pakistani airstrike, told m that his house shook violently due to an explosion caused by one of the strikes.
“First, we thought it was an earthquake, because there was an earthquake in Kabul a few days ago,” he said. “Then we heard a loud explosion.”
Voices from the border
For residents living along the frontier, often referred to as the Durand Line, the escalation is less about geopolitics and more about survival.
A shopkeeper near the Torkham crossing, not being named for security reasons, described the panic on Friday, “We have lived with tension for years, but this time feels different. The shelling started before dawn and everyone just ran. My shop has been closed for three days – no trucks, no traders, nothing. When the border shuts, our lives shut with it.”
Torkham is a vital artery for trade between the two countries. Its closure strands hundreds of cargo trucks and disrupts supply chains that millions rely on.
On the Pakistani side, villages in Khyber and Balochistan provinces reported families sheltering indoors as artillery fire echoed across mountainous terrain.
A farmer in a border village said: “We don’t know whose shells are landing, we only know they are landing near our homes. The children haven’t slept properly in days. We keep them inside, away from windows. This is not politics for us – it is survival.”
From eastern Afghanistan, displacement was reported in districts close to the frontier.
One resident told local media: “First there were drones, then explosions. We packed what we could and left before sunrise. We don’t care who is right or wrong – we just want a place where our children are not afraid of the sky.”
Root of the current crisis
The ‘Ghazab lil-Haq’ escalation did not occur in isolation. Over the past year, relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have steadily deteriorated.
1. Persistent cross-border attacks
Islamabad has repeatedly accused Kabul of allowing the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate from Afghan territory. The TTP, which seeks to challenge the Pakistani state, has carried out deadly attacks inside Pakistan.
The Taliban government denies officially harbouring the TTP but has struggled – or declined – to fully dismantle militant networks operating across the porous border.
Throughout 2025, Pakistan conducted targeted strikes it said were aimed at TTP hideouts inside Afghanistan. Kabul condemned these actions as violations of sovereignty.
2. October 2025 airstrikes
While border skirmishes between Pakistan and Afghanistan are not new, the last escalation began in October 2025, when Pakistan launched cross-border air operations in recent years, striking locations it described as terrorist command centres. Afghan authorities reported casualties and vowed retaliation.
The weeks that followed saw intense artillery exchanges along multiple sectors of the border. Casualty figures varied widely between official statements from both sides.
3. Border closures and economic fallout
Repeated closures of Torkham and Chaman crossings over the past year disrupted trade worth millions of dollars daily. Markets dependent on cross-border commerce suffered severe losses.
Local business communities on both sides urged restraint, warning that sustained closures could trigger long-term economic damage.
4. Diplomatic attempts at de-escalation
Regional actors, including Qatar, sought to mediate between Islamabad and Kabul. Short-lived ceasefire understandings were reportedly reached, but violations and mistrust quickly eroded them.
The United Nations repeatedly called for restraint and emphasised the protection of civilians, particularly women and children in border communities.
Despite these efforts, neither side fundamentally shifted its security posture.
Why tensions remain so combustible
Several structural factors make the Pakistan–Afghanistan relationship particularly volatile:
The disputed border
Afghanistan has historically refused to formally recognise the Durand Line as a permanent international boundary. While Pakistan considers it settled, the ruling Taliban government in Afghanistan has at times challenged fencing and border fortification efforts.
‘Terrorist sanctuaries’
Pakistan views the TTP as an existential security threat. Afghan authorities, meanwhile, accuse Pakistan of backing hostile elements in Afghanistan. These mutual suspicions create a cycle of accusation and retaliation.
Domestic political pressures
Both governments face internal security and economic challenges. Demonstrating resolve against external threats can bolster domestic legitimacy — but it also raises the risk of escalation.
Casualty claims and the fog of war
As with previous clashes, casualty figures reported on February 27 differ sharply between the two sides. Pakistan claims to have killed several terrorists in Afghanistan. Afghan officials claim substantial Pakistani military casualties.
What could happen next?
There are three plausible scenarios:
1. Rapid de-escalation
International pressure and back-channel diplomacy could produce a renewed ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan within days or weeks.
2. Sustained low-intensity conflict
The confrontation between the two nations could settle into recurring airstrikes and artillery exchanges, prolonging instability without full-scale invasion.
3. Broader regional involvement
Escalation could draw in external stakeholders, complicating efforts to stabilise the region.
Much depends on battlefield developments and the political calculations of leaders in Islamabad and Kabul.
A border caught in between
For communities along the frontier, geopolitical rivalries feel distant.
A tribal elder in Khyber district, requesting anonymity, put it bluntly: “The politicians speak of sovereignty and retaliation. But along this line, our families are on both sides. When guns fire, they do not ask which country you belong to.”
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