Pakistan declares ‘open war’ on Afghanistan with Taliban strikes as ‘patience run out’

Pakistan’s defence minister said his country had run out of “patience” and is now in an “open war” with Afghanistan after launching a series of air strikes on its capital, Kabul

A significant nuclear power has announced an “open war” on its neighbouring country, initiating a series of overnight attacks.

Pakistan’s defence minister declared his nation had exhausted its “patience” and is now in an “open war” with Afghanistan. Khawaja Mohammad Asif accused the Taliban of transforming Afghanistan “into a colony of India”, gathering militants from across the globe and starting to “export terrorism”.

“Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us,” he stated on X.

Pakistan has consistently accused neighbouring India of supporting the ethnonationalist Baloch Liberation Army and the Pakistani Taliban – claims that New Delhi refutes.

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His proclamation follows Pakistan’s launch of multiple air strikes on the Afghan capital of Kabul, as well as Kandahar in the south and Paktia province in the southeast. Islamabad asserts the strikes were in response to Afghan cross-border attacks, stating that two of its soldiers had been killed following an Afghan Taliban operation along their shared border, reports the Mirror.

On Thursday, the Taliban announced a major offensive against Pakistani military posts near the border, alleging they had killed “numerous” Pakistani soldiers – a claim denied by a spokesperson for Pakistan’s prime minister.

Defence Minister Khawaja stated in his post on X that before the situation escalated, Pakistan had “engaged in full-fledged diplomacy”. He said they had hoped for peace in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of NATO forces and anticipated the Taliban to concentrate on the welfare of the Afghan people and regional stability.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared that his country’s forces “have the full capability to crush any aggressive ambitions”. “There will be no compromise on the defence of the beloved homeland and every aggression will be met with a befitting reply,” he said, as per the Pakistani government’s X account.

A spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban announced in a now-deleted X post that it has retaliated with renewed attacks against Pakistani troops.

The number of casualties each side has suffered remains unclear as both governments have issued starkly contrasting claims, asserting they inflicted heavy losses on the other.

Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry reported overnight that 55 Pakistani soldiers had been killed, including some whose bodies were taken into Afghanistan, and that “several others were captured alive”. It stated eight Afghan soldiers were killed and 11 wounded.

The ministry claimed it obliterated 19 Pakistani army positions and two bases, with hostilities concluding around midnight, roughly four hours after commencing on Thursday. Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed two Pakistani troops were killed and three injured.

Mosharraf Ali Zaidi, a spokesman for Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, refuted claims that any Pakistani personnel had been taken prisoner.

In a statement on X, he reported at least 133 Afghan combatants were killed and over 200 wounded. He also claimed 27 Afghan positions were demolished and nine fighters seized.

He didn’t specify the locations of the casualties but mentioned additional losses were anticipated in attacks on military installations in Kabul, Paktia and Kandahar.

In Islamabad, two senior security sources revealed Afghan forces at certain border outposts had hoisted white flags, a signal commonly understood as a plea to cease fire. The sources indicated Pakistani troops were maintaining what they characterised as a robust retaliatory action against “unprovoked aggression” by the Afghan Taliban and had eliminated several crucial Taliban strongholds along the frontier.

The sources requested anonymity as they lacked authorisation to comment publicly. Asif also charged the Taliban administration with depriving Afghans of fundamental human rights, including women’s rights that he claimed are protected under Islam, without offering specifics or proof.

He stated Pakistan had attempted to maintain stability both directly and through allied nations. “Today, when attempts were made to target Pakistan with aggression, by the grace of God, our armed forces are giving a decisive response,” he said.

Officials in Pakistan reported dozens of Afghan refugees who were awaiting return home from the northwestern Torkham border have been relocated to safer locations following the outbreak of fighting.

Pakistan initiated a comprehensive crackdown in October 2023 to remove migrants without proper documentation, encouraging those in the country to depart voluntarily to avoid detention and forced removal, whilst forcibly removing others. This triggered millions to cross the frontier into Afghanistan, including individuals who were born in Pakistan decades earlier and had established enterprises there.

Last year alone, 2.9 million people returned to Afghanistan, the U.N. refugee agency has reported, with nearly 80,000 having returned so far this year.

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