ISLAMABAD, February 27, 2026 — Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have reached a breaking point as the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) launched a series of high-intensity airstrikes on Kabul and other major Afghan cities early Friday morning. The military operation, codenamed “Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq” (Righteous Fury), marks a dramatic escalation in what Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has now officially declared an “open war.”
The strikes hit strategic targets in the capital Kabul, as well as the southern Taliban stronghold of Kandahar and the southeastern province of Paktia.
“Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq” Launched
According to Pakistani security officials, the airstrikes were a direct response to a “large-scale” cross-border offensive launched by Afghan Taliban forces late Thursday night. That Afghan attack reportedly targeted Pakistani border troops along the Durand Line, with the Taliban claiming to have seized dozens of military posts and killed nearly 40 soldiers.
Pakistan’s Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, confirmed that the PAF targeted several “brigade headquarters” and ammunition depots belonging to the Afghan Taliban. Islamabad claims the operation has already killed over 130 Afghan fighters and destroyed 27 border posts.
“Patience Has Reached Its Limit”
In a fiery statement posted to social media, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif announced an “all-out confrontation” with the Taliban regime. “Our patience has reached its limit,” Asif stated. “Now it is open war between us and you.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif echoed this sentiment, asserting that Pakistan’s armed forces possess the “full capability to crush any aggressive ambitions” and that the entire nation stands “shoulder to shoulder” with the military.
Conflicting Casualty Reports
While Pakistan claims devastating losses for the Taliban, the Afghan government has offered a starkly different account. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the airstrikes in Kabul and Kandahar but claimed there were no reported casualties on the Afghan side.
Conversely, the Taliban claimed that their own land offensive on Thursday resulted in the capture of several Pakistani soldiers “alive,” a claim that Islamabad has flatly denied.
Ceasefire in Shambles
This latest wave of violence effectively shatters a fragile ceasefire that had been brokered by Qatar and Turkey in 2025. Relations between the neighbors have been in freefall since October, fueled by Islamabad’s accusations that the Taliban is harboring militant groups like the TTP, which conduct attacks inside Pakistan—a charge the Taliban consistently denies.
As jet fighters continue to patrol the skies over Kandahar and Kabul, the international community, including Russia and Iran, has begun calling for an immediate halt to the hostilities to avoid a full-scale regional catastrophe.
Bottom Line
The era of “tit-for-tat” border skirmishes appears to be over. With “Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq” and the declaration of “open war,” the two neighbors are now in a direct military conflict that threatens to destabilize the already volatile Central Asian region.
