Renewed Violence Along the Durand Line
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have escalated sharply after months of relative calm. Early Friday, Pakistan launched airstrikes on Kabul and other Afghan cities, declaring “open war” following Taliban attacks on Pakistani border positions. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Islamabad’s patience had “run out.”
The military reported that Operation Ghazab lil Haq (“Righteous Fury”) killed 133 Taliban fighters and targeted key installations in Kabul and Kandahar. Afghanistan confirmed Pakistani strikes in three provinces and said retaliatory attacks had begun, with eight Afghan soldiers reported killed. Both sides claim to have targeted military positions, and Pakistani forces appear to have captured several border posts.
The Root Causes of the Conflict
At the heart of the conflict is Pakistan’s long-standing accusation that the Taliban shelters Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants who carry out attacks across the border. The TTP, formed in 2007, seeks to overthrow Pakistan’s government and has carried out over 1,000 violent incidents in 2025 alone.
Although separate from the Afghan Taliban, the TTP maintains ideological and social links, raising serious security concerns for Islamabad. Pakistan also faces increased activity from the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) along its western borders. The 2,600-kilometre Durand Line remains a contentious frontier, with Afghanistan refusing to formally recognise it.
Regional Politics and Geopolitical Tensions
Some analysts link Pakistan’s frustration to Kabul’s perceived closeness with India, interpreting the strikes as a political warning to the Taliban. Defence Minister Asif accused the Taliban of turning Afghanistan into “a colony of India” rather than safeguarding regional stability.
The Taliban, however, rejected these claims, asserting it has maintained positive relations with neighboring countries and that Afghan territory has not been used against Pakistan. Since 2021, Pakistan has conducted six airstrikes in Afghanistan, with at least 75 clashes reported since the US withdrawal. While a Qatar-mediated ceasefire in October 2025 held for a time, intermittent skirmishes continue, and recent peace talks have failed to produce a lasting resolution.
