Pakistan, once an ally of the Taliban, is now in an “open war” with the terrorist organization amid months of tension and border skirmishes.
In a lengthy statement shared to social media on Thursday, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif wrote about how he and other Paki officials had expected “peace” to “prevail in Afghanistan,” the home of the Taliban, once NATO withdrew from the region.
Instead, the opposite happened.
“[T]he Taliban turned Afghanistan into a colony of India,” he said. “They gathered terrorists from around the world in Afghanistan and began exporting terrorism. They deprived their own people of basic human rights. They took away from women the rights that Islam grants them.”
Pakistan, a majority Muslim nation, is pretty much a longtime nemesis of India, a majority Hindu nation.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif:
After NATO forces withdrew, it was expected that peace would prevail in Afghanistan and that the Taliban would focus on the interests of the Afghan people and regional stability.
However, the Taliban turned Afghanistan into a colony of… pic.twitter.com/WLTEpExV08
— Clash Report (@clashreport) February 26, 2026
Asif added that Pakistan’s “patience has reached its limits” and stressed that “it is [now] open confrontation,” meaning war.
According to The New York Times, Pakistan “carried out airstrikes on Afghanistan’s two largest cities on Friday, including the capital, Kabul.”
The strikes were reportedly launched after Afghan troops attacked Pakistani border positions. The Afghan government defended the attack by saying it was retaliation for Pakistani strikes that occurred earlier in the week.
The Times notes that the relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan started to deteriorate after the former accused the Afghan government of “harboring the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.”
“The militant group has waged a relentless campaign against Pakistani security forces in recent years, and last fall claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed a dozen people at a courthouse in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital,” according to the Times.
“Pakistan says the Taliban allow the Pakistani Taliban to train and operate freely in Afghanistan, from where they launch attacks across the 1,600-mile border. The Taliban deny hosting the group and argue that Pakistan’s government is deflecting blame for its own domestic security failures,” the Times notes.
Pakistan state-run media has now confirmed that the Pakistani Air Force carried out a number of strikes tonight against Taliban military sites within the capital of Kabul and several other areas across Afghanistan, as part of Operation Ghazab Lil Haq. Under the operation,… pic.twitter.com/PCJswbA3WA
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) February 26, 2026
The Taliban has confirmed that Pakistan’s strikes struck Kabul and other cities, but continues to deny that there were any casualties.
And back-and-forth exchanges have reportedly shattered a ceasefire that was brokered by Turkey and Qatar last year after fighting between the two led to a total of 70+deaths.
“Afghanistan and Pakistan, embroiled in fighting that has killed dozens of people and injured hundreds, pledged on Sunday to respect a ceasefire,” PBS News reported in mid-October.
“The truce, mediated by Qatar and Turkey, came into effect immediately and is intended to pause hostilities,” the report continued.
“It has been decided that neither country will undertake any hostile actions against the other, nor will they support groups carrying out attacks against Pakistan,” the Taliban government’s chief spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a statement at the time.
“Both sides will refrain from targeting each other’s security forces, civilians or critical infrastructure,” he stressed.
Statement | Pakistan and Afghanistan Agree to an Immediate Ceasefire During a Round of Negotiations in Doha#MOFAQatar pic.twitter.com/fPXvn6GaU6
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) October 18, 2025
The problem, according to Al Jazeera, was that “[s]ubsequent negotiations in Doha and Istanbul failed to produce a formal agreement.”
“What is unfolding now, analysts say, is categorically more dangerous, with no framework in place to contain it,” the outlet notes.
The outlet further points out that Pakistan’s key “rationale” for the wave of attacks on Friday was two suicide attacks earlier in the month.
“On February 6, a suicide bomber killed at least 36 people at a Shia mosque in Islamabad,” according to the outlet. “This was followed, days later, by another incident in which an explosives-laden vehicle rammed a security post in Bajaur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing 11 soldiers and a child.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
- ‘These are thugs and animals’: Trump blasts Iran over execution of teen wrestler, two others - March 21, 2026
- Key on-air talent gets the ax amid CBS News radio shut down, network layoffs - March 21, 2026
- Cancellation of ‘Bachelorette’ season over abuse of boyfriend video sparks mixed reactions - March 20, 2026
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.