Pakistani officials announced that airstrikes were carried out against Taliban government targets in Kabul and the provinces of Paktia and Kandahar following escalating border tensions. The Pakistani defense minister declared that their patience had run out, indicating the start of an open war between the two nations. These airstrikes come in the wake of border clashes in which 133 Taliban fighters were reportedly killed following what Pakistan described as unprovoked fire from Afghan castaways.

In response to the bombings, the Afghan army stated they had initiated attacks against Pakistan, claiming to react to previous assaults that had resulted in civilian casualties. Although Afghanistan confirmed the recent Pakistani airstrikes were executed, they asserted no civilians were harmed. Relations between the two countries have drastically deteriorated since conflicts last October, which claimed the lives of over 70 individuals, fueling further tensions and accusations from both sides.

The ongoing conflict illustrates the fragile state of relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with each country accusing the other of inaction against insurgent groups operating along their shared border. Afghanistan’s Taliban government has denied Pakistan’s allegations of harboring militants responsible for cross-border attacks, suggesting a cycle of retaliatory violence could lead to further instability in the region, impacting innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.