Pakistan and Afghanistan Border Clashes Escalate Along Durand Line as Operation Ghazab lil-Haq Intensifies

Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged airstrikes, artillery, and gunfire along the Durand Line on 26 and 27 February. Pakistan said it started Operation Ghazab lil-Haq after Afghan cross-border attacks on troops. Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif described the situation as an "open war" with the Taliban administration in Kabul.

Fighting reports and claims spread across Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Nangarhar, Kunar, and Nuristan. Both sides reported dozens of military deaths and injuries. Pakistan said Taliban positions and ammunition depots were destroyed. Afghan authorities claimed several Pakistani posts were overrun along the 2,611-kilometre frontier.

PTV News said Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq after "unprovoked aggression" by Afghan forces. Kabul also alleged a cross-border assault killed 55 Pakistani soldiers. Pakistani officials briefed local media on authorised counter strikes. They said several phases targeted Taliban military infrastructure across multiple Afghan provinces.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the campaign formed part of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq and Operation Ghazab-lil-Haqq. Security sources told Geo TV and ARY News that jets hit command centres and logistics hubs. They cited targets in Kabul, Kandahar, Nangarhar, and Paktia. They also mentioned brigade and corps headquarters, plus an ammunition depot.

Tarar said 133 Afghan Taliban operatives were killed and more than 200 were injured. Tarar added that "Afghan Taliban defence targets in Kabul, Paktika, and Kandahar were targeted, with the possibility of further casualties,". Tarar also stated: "Twenty-seven posts of the Afghan Taliban regime destroyed, 9 posts captured,". Tarar cited over 80 tanks, guns, and carriers.

Earlier Pakistani briefings gave smaller figures. Tarar initially said two Pakistani security personnel had been martyred and three were wounded. At that stage, at least 36 Afghan Taliban operatives were reported killed. Later tallies raised Afghan deaths to between 44 and 72 across phases. Officials also claimed over 16 posts destroyed and seven captured.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defence said it began a four-hour retaliatory operation at 8pm on 26 February. It noted the date as the 9th of Ramadan. Kabul said the action followed a Pakistani strike that killed women and children. Afghanistan claimed 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed. Pakistan rejected that figure.

Afghan officials said posts in Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Nangarhar, Kunar, and Nuristan were targeted. They claimed two bases were destroyed and 19 posts were seized. Afghanistan also said weapons, vehicles, and equipment were captured. Kabul reported eight Afghan fighters killed and 11 wounded. It also said 13 civilians were injured in Nangarhar.

Both governments issued sharply different battlefield versions, and verification remained difficult. Pakistan denied losing any posts. Afghan spokespersons insisted Pakistani positions were captured, including more than a dozen sites. Afghan officials also claimed prisoners were taken during clashes. Pakistan continued to dispute those claims, and said positions held firm along the border.

Side	Claimed enemy military deaths	Claimed own military deaths	Posts reported destroyed / seized
Pakistan (various briefings)	36 to 133 Afghan Taliban fighters	2 Pakistani soldiers	16 Afghan posts destroyed, 7 captured
Afghanistan (various statements)	"up to 55" Pakistani soldiers	8 Afghan fighters	At least 19 Pakistani posts seized

Pakistan-Afghanistan border airstrikes and city reports

Security sources told ARY News that Pakistan Air Force jets struck facilities in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia. They alleged two brigade headquarters in Kabul were destroyed. In Kandahar, they cited an army corps headquarters, a brigade base, and a logistics site. They also pointed to an ammunition depot. A corps headquarters in Paktia was also cited.

Geo TV reported a major ammunition depot was hit in Nangarhar under Operation Ghazab-lil-Haqq. The report said three Afghan battalions and a sector headquarters were destroyed. It also said more than 30 tanks, artillery guns, and armoured carriers were destroyed. Pakistan released strike footage, but independent verification was not possible.

Residents and AFP journalists in Kabul reported loud explosions and jets overhead early on 27 February. They also reported sustained gunfire that lasted more than two hours. Later, another large blast hit the capital. An AFP reporter in Kandahar also heard jets, with blasts reported. Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed airstrikes, but said no casualties occurred from those specific attacks.

Pakistan-Afghanistan border statements, warnings, and diplomacy

Asif said Pakistan had "run out of patience" after fresh cross-border strikes. Asif said Pakistan had expected peace after NATO’s withdrawal. Asif said the Taliban was expected to focus on welfare and stability. On X, Asif wrote: "Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us,". Asif did not mention the Qatar-mediated ceasefire discussions.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif backed the campaign and warned against escalation. Sharif said: "Our forces have the full capability to crush any aggressive ambitions,". Sharif also said: "The entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the Pakistan armed forces,". Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called the strikes a "befitting response". Naqvi said: "Pakistan's armed forces have given a befitting response to the Afghan Taliban's open aggression,".

Political reactions continued across Pakistan. Asif told domestic audiences the military was delivering a "crushing response". Asif urged rivals, including PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa leadership, to support the federal stance. PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said Pakistan "will establish peace with our neighbors wherever possible, but we will never hesitate to counter the threats posed to Pakistan from their side."

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi defended earlier strikes as "precision strikes" on Pakistani Taliban training camps. Andrabi said Pakistan had "nothing against the people of Afghanistan." Iran offered to help open channels as tensions grew. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: "The Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to provide any assistance necessary to facilitate dialogue and to enhance understanding and cooperation between the two countries,".

Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on X that "large-scale offensive operations were launched against Pakistani military bases and military installations along the Durand Line" after repeated airstrikes. Mujahid later announced further "large-scale offensive operations" at the border. Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry said fighting spread across five border provinces. It also claimed some Pakistani troops were captured.

Pakistan-Afghanistan border Torkham clashes and civilian impact

Heavy fire also reached the Torkham crossing. The route was largely shut since October, but remained open for returning Afghans. AFP reporters on the Afghan side heard gunfire and shelling from about 9:30am. Security forces ordered reporters away. Nangarhar information chief Qureshi Badlun said: "A mortar shell has hit the camp and unfortunately seven of our refugees have been wounded, and the condition of one woman is serious,".

The Omari camp near Torkham sheltered Afghans returning from Pakistan. Residents described overnight panic as explosions landed near tents. Many families fled again after earlier displacement from Pakistan. Gander Khan, a 65-year-old returnee, said: "Children, women, and old people were running,". Gander Khan also said: "Here, nearby, a bullet (explosives) hit. I saw blood, it wounded two or three children, and two or three women,".

Pakistani police said mortars from Afghanistan landed in villages near Torkham. Residents shifted towards safer places, and no civilian deaths were confirmed on the Pakistani side. Officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa monitored possible displacement. Afghan authorities said parts of the refugee camp were evacuated. Injured civilians were moved to hospitals, while Kabul accused Pakistan of earlier strikes on civilian areas.

Pakistan said its air and ground operations damaged Taliban infrastructure in several iterations. PM’s spokesperson on Foreign Media Mosharraf Zaidi cited 72 Afghan Taliban combatants terminated and more than 120 injured. Zaidi also listed 16 posts destroyed and seven captured. Pakistan also claimed key command sites were neutralised. PTV News cited more than 30 destroyed vehicles, including tanks and armoured carriers.

Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry said eight soldiers were killed in ground operations. Kabul also repeated that strikes on Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia caused no fatalities. Deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat claimed "up to 55" Pakistani soldiers were killed. Fitrat also said some were captured. Pakistan dismissed the statements, and maintained that no positions had fallen on its side.

Months of mistrust framed the escalation. Pakistan accused Kabul of harbouring the Pakistani Taliban. Afghanistan objected to Pakistani strikes and tighter border controls. Analysts noted the Qatar-mediated ceasefire effort looked fragile after the "open war" remarks. The Torkham border, mostly closed since October, became a pressure point for trade and travel. Shelling raised risks of further displacement near the crossing.

By 27 February, both states kept issuing divergent claims on casualties and control of posts. Pakistan maintained that Operation Ghazab lil-Haq hit military sites, not civilians. Afghanistan said operations were self-defence, and cited injuries near refugee camps. With Iran offering to "facilitate dialogue", attention stayed on whether fighting and air raids continued along the Durand Line.