Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated dramatically on Friday as Islamabad launched air strikes on major Afghan cities, including the capital, Kabul, with Pakistan’s defence minister declaring the two neighbours to be at “open war.”

AFP journalists in Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar reported hearing loud explosions and fighter jets overhead throughout the night until dawn, as Pakistani forces targeted sites described as belonging to the Taliban authorities.

Naija News reports that the latest operation by Islamabad followed fresh hostilities along the border, after Afghan forces reportedly attacked Pakistani border troops on Thursday night in response to earlier air strikes by Pakistan.

Relations between the neighbouring countries have deteriorated sharply in recent months. Land border crossings have largely remained shut since deadly clashes in October that left more than 70 people dead on both sides.

Islamabad has repeatedly accused Kabul of failing to rein in militant groups responsible for cross-border attacks in Pakistan—an allegation the Taliban government denies.

‘Now It Is Open War’
Confirming the strikes, Pakistan’s Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, said Taliban defence targets were hit in multiple locations.

“Afghan Taliban defence targets were targeted in Kabul, Paktia and Kandahar,” Tarar posted on 𝕏.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, went further, declaring what he described as an “all-out confrontation” with the Taliban-led government.

“Our patience has reached its limit. Now it is open war between you and us,” he wrote on social media.

Most of the recent attacks inside Pakistan have been claimed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the TTP. The group has intensified its operations since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.

Pakistan insists that Afghan territory is being used as a safe haven by militants targeting its security forces, while the Taliban authorities in Kabul deny providing any support to such groups.

Reacting to the overnight bombardment, South Asia expert Michael Kugelman described the development as a worrying turning point.

“The overnight strikes mark a significant and dangerous escalation from earlier clashes,” Kugelman wrote on 𝕏.

“Pakistan appears to have expanded its targeting beyond TTP to the Taliban regime itself.”

The fresh violence effectively shatters a fragile truce brokered earlier this year. Initial ceasefire talks were facilitated by Qatar and Turkey, but multiple breaches undermined the agreement.

In a bid to ease tensions, Saudi Arabia intervened this month and mediated the release of three Pakistani soldiers captured by Afghan forces during October’s clashes.

Saudi Arabia, Iran Move To Mediate As Border Violence Intensifies
Naija News understands that diplomatic efforts intensified on Friday (today) as Saudi Arabia and Iran stepped in to ease rising tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, following days of deadly clashes and air strikes.

Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, held talks with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, according to a statement released in Riyadh, while Iran offered to help “facilitate dialogue” between the two neighbours.

The latest violence comes amid escalating tit-for-tat military actions along the volatile frontier, with both sides claiming heavy casualties.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, had warned that his country’s armed forces were prepared for a decisive response.

“Our armed forces have the full capability to crush any aggressive ambitions,” Sharif declared.

Both Afghan and Pakistani militaries reported killing dozens of soldiers in the most recent round of fighting, which followed multiple air strikes by Islamabad and months of cross-border skirmishes.

Blasts Rock Kabul, Kandahar
In the Afghan capital, Kabul, AFP journalists reported hearing jets and several loud explosions, followed by gunfire, over several hours on Friday.

A reporter in Kandahar, where Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada is based, also confirmed hearing aircraft overhead.

Despite the overnight bombardment, Kabul’s streets were largely quiet after dawn, consistent with a Friday during Ramadan in the Muslim-majority country. Journalists observed no significant increase in Taliban security presence or checkpoints across the city.

Taliban Confirms Strikes, Launches Offensive
The Taliban government confirmed the Pakistani air strikes, but spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said there were no casualties from the aerial bombardment.

Hours earlier, Mujahid had announced “large-scale offensive operations” at the border in response to what he described as repeated violations by the Pakistani military.

Afghanistan’s defence ministry said eight of its soldiers were killed during the ground offensive.

Mujahid also told AFP that several Pakistani soldiers had been “caught alive,” a claim swiftly denied by Pakistan’s prime minister’s office.

An Afghan official reported that civilians were among those affected by the violence near the Torkham border crossing, where a camp housing returnees from Pakistan was hit.

“A mortar shell has hit the camp and unfortunately, seven of our refugees have been wounded, and the condition of one woman is serious,” said Qureshi Badlun, information chief in Nangarhar province.

Although the border has largely remained closed since October, Afghan returnees have continued to cross.

The military escalation follows Pakistani strikes on Nangarhar and Paktika provinces overnight into Sunday. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said at least 13 civilians were killed in those strikes.

Earlier in the week, both sides acknowledged cross-border fire on Tuesday, though no casualties were reported in that exchange.

Beyond direct military confrontations, both countries have witnessed a wave of deadly suicide bombings in recent months.

One of the most devastating attacks occurred at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad, killing at least 40 people. The assault was claimed by the Islamic State group.

The group’s regional affiliate, Islamic State, Khorasan Province, also claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a restaurant in Kabul last month.

With diplomatic channels now reactivated and regional powers offering mediation, observers warn that failure to contain the hostilities could further destabilise an already fragile region.