By Roots Global Desk/ 28-Febraury-2026

Following devastating Pakistani airstrikes on multiple Afghan cities, including Kabul and Kandahar, the Afghan Taliban launches retaliatory drone attacks as both nations report heavy casualties.

The simmering geopolitical tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have officially ruptured into all-out conflict. In a drastic escalation of recent border skirmishes, Pakistan has launched extensive bombing campaigns deep into Afghan territory, striking the capital city of Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia. In response, Afghanistan’s Taliban government has launched retaliatory drone strikes and cross-border offensives, prompting Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif to declare that Islamabad is now waging an “open war.”

The rapid deterioration of relations reached a boiling point this week when Pakistani warplanes targeted what Islamabad described as militant safe havens. However, the conflict quickly spiraled as both nations unleashed heavy artillery and aerial assaults, resulting in competing claims of massive casualties and widespread destruction along the 2,611-kilometer (1,622-mile) shared border.

The “Islamabad Burning” Rumors and Drone Retaliations

As panic spread across social media with unverified rumors of “Islamabad burning,” official reports have painted a different picture of the capital’s security. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense and government spokespersons announced on Friday that they had “successfully conducted” retaliatory drone strikes targeting military installations deep within Pakistan.

However, Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar swiftly pushed back against claims of domestic destruction. Tarar confirmed that Afghan Taliban fighters attempted to deploy combat drones against targets inside Pakistan, but stated that the incoming threats were successfully intercepted and brought down by Pakistan’s anti-drone defense systems. He firmly added that there was “no damage to life” or infrastructure within Pakistani cities, including the capital.

Despite the capital remaining secure, the sheer scale of the military engagement at the border is unprecedented in recent years. Reporting from the town of Landi Kotal near the Torkham border crossing, observers noted continuous, heavy outgoing artillery fire from the Pakistani side, while Afghan troops were seen mobilizing toward the frontier early Friday morning.

Competing Claims of Devastating Casualties

The military toll of the escalating conflict remains highly contested, with both sides claiming to have inflicted catastrophic losses on the other.

Pakistan’s military asserts that its operations have been devastatingly effective, claiming to have killed 274 Taliban fighters and injured over 400 across 22 targeted locations. Islamabad also reported the destruction of 83 Taliban border posts. In its own ranks, Pakistan acknowledged the loss of 12 soldiers, with 27 injured and one missing in action.

Kabul has fiercely rejected Pakistan’s narrative. The Afghan Ministry of Defense claimed that its own offensive operations, which concluded around midnight on Thursday, resulted in the deaths of 55 Pakistani soldiers and the destruction of two military bases and 19 army posts. Afghanistan reported eight of its own soldiers killed and 11 wounded.

Furthermore, Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated that Pakistan’s airstrikes predominantly hit civilian areas rather than military targets. Mujahid reported that the bombings struck innocent citizens, including a farmer’s home in Jalalabad that wiped out most of his family, and a religious school for children in Paktika.

“Our Patience Has Overflowed”

The diplomatic rhetoric has matched the ferocity of the battlefield. Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif framed the airstrikes as a necessary response to unprovoked Afghan aggression and the harboring of anti-state armed groups like the Pakistan Taliban (TTP).

“Pakistan made every effort to keep the situation normal through direct means and through friendly countries,” Asif stated. “It engaged in full-fledged diplomacy. But the Taliban became a proxy for India. In the past, Pakistan’s role has been positive. It has hosted five million Afghans for 50 years… Our cup of patience has overflowed. Now it is open war between us and you.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office echoed this uncompromising stance, releasing a statement assuring that the armed forces are fully prepared to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty and that “any aggression will be met with a fitting response.”

In Kabul, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged his countrymen to defend their homeland with “complete unity,” while calling on Pakistan to change its policy and “choose the path of good neighbourliness.” Despite the aggressive military posturing, Zabihullah Mujahid maintained that the Afghan government still desires a peaceful resolution and dialogue, even as Pakistani reconnaissance planes continue to heavily monitor Afghan airspace.

A Region on the Brink

The root of the conflict lies in Islamabad’s repeated accusations that Kabul allows armed groups, specifically the TTP, to use Afghan soil as a launchpad for deadly terrorist attacks within Pakistan. According to Elizabeth Threlkeld, director of the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center, this shift toward “more aggressive, kinetic attacks” from Pakistan is a direct result of cumulative terrorist attacks that have severely frayed relations.

As the death toll mounts and border communities are caught in the crossfire, the international community is scrambling to prevent a broader regional war. Diplomats report that Russia, China, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia are currently attempting to mediate a ceasefire, while neighboring Iran has also offered its assistance.

Former US Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad condemned the “terrible dynamic” of tit-for-tat attacks, urging an immediate diplomatic agreement monitored by a trusted third party like Turkey. Until such an agreement is reached, millions of citizens on both sides of the Durand Line remain trapped in the shadow of an escalating, unpredictable war.

Source-www.aljazeera.com