ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s defense minister said the country has run out of patience and that it is now in open war with Afghanistan after a series of cross-border attacks and retaliatory strikes.
In a post on X on Friday, Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said Pakistan had hoped for peace in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO forces and expected the Taliban to prioritize the welfare of Afghans and regional stability. He accused the Taliban of turning Afghanistan into a proxy of India, gathering militants from abroad and exporting terrorism, and said those actions left Pakistan no choice but to respond.
Asif said Pakistan had tried to maintain stability directly and through friendly countries, and that its armed forces were delivering a decisive response to recent aggression. There was no immediate official reaction from Afghan authorities to Asif’s post.
The remarks come amid a sharp escalation that has put a Qatar mediated ceasefire under strain; Asif did not mention the ceasefire in his message. He also accused the Taliban government of denying basic rights to Afghans, including rights for women that he said are guaranteed under Islam, without providing further detail.
The immediate trigger for the latest exchange was an Afghan cross-border attack on Thursday, which Afghanistan said was in retaliation for deadly Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas the previous Sunday. Early Friday, Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Kabul and in the southern province of Kandahar and the southeastern province of Paktia. At least three explosions were heard in Kabul, though Pakistani officials did not provide immediate details on precise locations or casualties.
Afghanistan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid later confirmed strikes in Kandahar and Paktia. The evolving situation has raised fears of a wider conflagration along the porous, mountainous border that has long been a source of tension between the two neighbors.
Asif also highlighted Pakistan’s long record of hosting Afghan refugees, saying Pakistan had housed about 5 million Afghans over the past five decades and that many continue to earn their livelihoods in Pakistan. The relationship has been further complicated since an October 2023 crackdown by Pakistani authorities to expel undocumented migrants, which urged voluntary departures and forcibly removed others; Iran launched a similar drive around the same time.
Since that crackdown began, millions have returned to Afghanistan, including people born in Pakistan who had established lives and businesses there. The UN refugee agency said roughly 2.9 million people returned to Afghanistan last year, with nearly 80,000 returning so far this year.
The situation remains fluid, with diplomatic channels, the Qatar mediated framework and regional players under pressure to prevent further escalation.