The Pakistan and Afghanistan relations have turned violent as both nations are exchanging heavy fire after a series of airstrikes and border clashes. On Friday, February 27, 2026, the Taliban government in Kabul announced that in a retaliatory attack, Afghan forces killed 55 soldiers and captured several military bases along the disputed Durand Line.
The escalation reportedly began late Thursday night. The Afghan Ministry of National Defence stated that their forces launched coordinated counter-attacks at 8 pm across several provinces — including Paktia, Khost, and Nangarhar — in response to Pakistani airstrikes that they claim killed women and children. As per Taliban's spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, Afghan forces even managed to shoot down a Pakistani aircraft that had strayed into their airspace.
Pakistan has hit back hard at these claims, dismissing the Taliban's figures as fiction. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar maintained that only two Pakistani soldiers were killed, while asserting that 36 Afghan fighters had been "neutralised" in the exchange. Islamabad maintains that it was the Taliban regime that initiated "unprovoked firing" at multiple border points in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, forcing a "comprehensive and decisive" response from the Pakistani military.
The ground reality remains chaotic and difficult to verify. Reports from the Torkham border crossing suggest that civilians on both sides are fleeing their homes as mortars land in nearby villages. In Kabul, the sound of explosions and low-flying aircraft rattled residents early on Friday morning, following the Taliban’s claim that they had seized 19 Pakistani military posts during a four-hour battle.
This sudden flare-up is the most serious deterioration in relations since the October 2023 crackdown on migrants, and it effectively breaks the fragile ceasefire that had been in place. With President Asif Ali Zardari stating that Pakistan will not compromise on its sovereignty and the Taliban releasing video footage of seized military supplies, the 2,600km Durand Line has once again become a full-blown war zone.
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