‘Open war’: Pakistan says ‘patience has run out’ as it bombs Afghanistan – Al Jazeera

Pakistan announced large-scale air and ground strikes against targets in Afghanistan on Friday, saying its “patience has run out” after cross-border attacks earlier in the week. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif framed the operations as a response to assaults on Pakistani military positions and said Islamabad would now wage “open war”. Afghan officials reported strikes on Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia and said anti-aircraft fire and ground clashes were reported near the Torkham border crossing. Both sides have traded casualty claims and accusations; independent verification of many of those figures remains incomplete.

Key Takeaways

• Pakistan launched air raids early on Friday targeting Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia provinces and reported strikes against Taliban positions across multiple districts.
• Pakistan officials, via Mosharraf Zaidi, claimed 133 Afghan Taliban fighters killed and more than 200 wounded in Friday’s strikes; these figures have not been independently verified.
• Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry said it conducted cross-border operations on Thursday that it said killed 55 Pakistani soldiers and destroyed 19 posts and two bases; Kabul reported 8 Afghan soldiers killed and 11 wounded in that clash.
• Clashes and shelling were reported near the Torkham border crossing; AFP and Al Jazeera teams observed movement of Afghan troops toward the frontier.
• Pakistan also reported targeting Taliban elements inside Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts including Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram and Bajaur.
• Diplomatic actors including the UN, Iran and Russia urged de-escalation and offered mediation to prevent wider conflict.
• The two countries share a 2,611-kilometre (1,622-mile) border and relations have sharply deteriorated since October clashes that killed more than 70 people along that frontier.

Background

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been building for months amid mutual accusations that each side’s territory is being used by armed groups to strike the other. Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban authorities of tolerating or enabling Pakistan-based militants, including the Pakistan Taliban, to stage attacks from Afghan soil. Islamabad says it pursued diplomacy and third-party channels before resorting to strikes; Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan had engaged “full-fledged diplomacy” but concluded the Taliban had become a proxy for India.

Afghanistan’s new authorities reject Islamabad’s framing and have accused Pakistan of cross-border aggression. The October clashes along the border left more than 70 dead on both sides, worsening an already fragile relationship between neighbours that share a long, porous frontier. Large-scale population movements and long-standing refugee flows have compounded mistrust: Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghans for decades, a reality cited by Pakistani leaders even as they justify tougher security measures.

Main Event

Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Kabul reported an air raid at 01:50 local time followed by a second strike, and Afghan anti-aircraft guns opened fire after both raids. Afghan government sources told international media an airstrike hit Kabul and that Pakistani warplanes also struck a military base in Kandahar. Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and government spokespeople described a coordinated set of strikes and continued operations targeting Taliban positions.

Pakistan’s spokesperson Mosharraf Zaidi said nine Taliban positions had been captured and 27 destroyed, and that Pakistani attacks were ongoing. Kabul, through its Defence Ministry and official spokespeople, denied many of Islamabad’s claims of success and casualty counts; Afghan spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid reported no Afghan casualties in some of the strikes while confirming strikes took place in multiple provinces.

On Thursday, Afghanistan said it had carried out “large-scale offensive operations” against Pakistani positions on the shared border, claiming 55 Pakistani soldiers killed and several captured. Kabul said the fighting lasted roughly four hours and that Afghan forces destroyed multiple Pakistani posts. Pakistan countered with its own casualty and damage tallies on Friday, setting up competing narratives that are difficult to independently corroborate.

Analysis & Implications

The escalation marks a rare and dangerous turn in relations between two nuclear-armed neighbours with a history of proxy and cross-border conflict. If sustained, these direct operations risk widening the violence beyond border skirmishes to more concentrated strikes on population centres, raising civilian casualty and displacement risks. Both capitals have incentives to demonstrate resolve: Pakistan to show it will not tolerate cross-border attacks, and Afghanistan to defend territorial sovereignty and the legitimacy of its security posture.

Regionally, the confrontation complicates calculations for third parties. India-Pakistan dynamics, already fraught, may be further affected by Islamabad’s allegation of Indian links to anti-Pakistan militants. External actors like Iran, Russia and Turkey could be drawn in as mediators or to protect perceived interests, while the UN and Western diplomats are likely to press for de-escalation to avoid a broader regional crisis.

Economically and humanitarianly, sustained strikes would aggravate hardship for civilians along the border and in urban centres reportedly hit by air raids. Cross-border trade and informal commerce that communities rely upon would face disruption. International humanitarian law obligations, including protection of civilians and proportionality of force, will be central to diplomatic and legal scrutiny if casualties mount or civilian infrastructure is struck.

Comparison & Data

The table summarizes competing official tallies and prior incidents. Independent verification is limited on several counts; open-source and on-the-ground reporting differ on casualty and damage figures. Observers note that both sides routinely provide politically useful numbers during high-tension periods, underscoring the need for third-party verification to establish an accurate account.

Reactions & Quotes

Islamabad framed its actions as compelled by repeated cross-border attacks and diplomatic failure. The Pakistani prime minister’s office released a statement emphasizing national unity behind the armed forces and warning that any aggression would be met firmly.

“Our patience has run out; now it is open war between us and you.”

Khawaja Asif, Pakistan Defence Minister

The UN called for immediate restraint and adherence to international humanitarian law, urging the parties to pursue diplomatic channels and protect civilians.

“The Secretary-General urges the parties to uphold their obligations under international law and ensure the protection of civilians.”

Stephane Dujarric, UN Secretary-General spokesperson

Voices from Afghanistan stressed unity and resistance to external aggression; former President Hamid Karzai appealed for national solidarity and urged Pakistan to adopt neighbourly policies.

“Afghans will defend their beloved homeland with complete unity and will respond to aggression with courage.”

Hamid Karzai, former President of Afghanistan

Unconfirmed

• Exact casualty figures claimed by Pakistan (133 killed, 200+ wounded) have not been independently verified by third-party monitors.
• Afghanistan’s claim that 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed and some bodies taken into Afghanistan is yet to be corroborated by neutral sources.
• Reports of captured positions (nine captured, 27 destroyed) and the scope of damage to military bases on both sides remain unverified.
• Allegations that civilians were killed in Pakistan’s strikes have been reported but lack independent confirmation at this time.

Bottom Line

Friday’s strikes mark a serious escalation in a cycle of tit-for-tat operations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, moving the relationship from periodic border skirmishes toward sustained cross-border kinetic activity. Competing casualty claims and the rapid pace of escalation heighten the risk of wider regional spillover and place civilians on both sides of the border in acute danger.

Immediate international engagement to secure de-escalation, independent verification of reported casualties and damage, and a return to sustained diplomatic channels will be essential to prevent further deterioration. Observers say mediation by trusted third parties and monitoring mechanisms could help stabilize the situation, but substantive confidence-building measures will be needed to address the underlying grievances that have driven this confrontation.

Sources

• Al Jazeera (International news organization; primary report)
• Agence France-Presse (AFP) (International news agency; field reporting)
• Stimson Center — South Asia Program (Think tank analysis; expert commentary)
• United Nations Office (press statements) (Official international organization statements)
• Pakistan Ministry of Information (Official government statements)