Pakistan Bombs Kabul After Afghan Taliban Launches Large-Scale Offensive
Airstrikes hit Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia after the Afghan Taliban said it launched a large-scale operation; officials gave widely differing casualty counts and the October ceasefire was strained.
Overview
Pakistan launched airstrikes on Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia in the early hours of Friday, according to Pakistani government officials and Afghan sources.
The strikes followed an Afghan Taliban claim that it had launched a "large-scale" offensive at around 20:00 local time (15:30 GMT) on Thursday in retaliation for earlier Pakistani strikes, Zabihullah Mujahid said.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the offensive killed "numerous" Pakistani soldiers and captured others, a claim denied by Pakistan's prime minister's spokesman and other Pakistani officials.
Casualty tallies differed sharply, with officials reporting roughly two to 55 Pakistani soldiers killed and roughly eight to 133 Afghan or Taliban fighters killed, depending on the source.
Officials said residents near Torkham were evacuated, repatriation across the crossing was suspended and the exchanges have strained a Qatar-mediated October ceasefire.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the clashes primarily through state security perspectives, foregrounding Pakistani government statements (e.g., officials calling Afghan fire "unprovoked") while treating Taliban assertions as contested. Editorial choices—leading with Pakistan's strikes, using "alleged" for militant camps, privileging official casualty claims and offering little independent verification—produce a tit-for-tat security narrative.
Sources (6)
FAQ
The airstrikes were in response to an Afghan Taliban large-scale offensive launched on February 26, 2026, against Pakistani military posts along the Durand Line, which itself retaliated for earlier Pakistani strikes on February 21 targeting TTP and ISIS-K camps.
Taliban claimed 55 Pakistani soldiers killed, 19 posts captured; Pakistan reported 2 soldiers killed, 133 Taliban fighters dead, 27 posts destroyed.
A Qatar-mediated ceasefire ended a 10-day conflict in October 2025; it is now strained by recent cross-border strikes and exchanges.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declared an 'open war' with Afghanistan, accusing the Taliban of exporting terrorism and turning Afghanistan into an Indian colony after patience ran out.
Residents near Torkham were evacuated, repatriation was suspended due to the exchanges straining the ceasefire.
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