The unstable border between Pakistan and Afghanistan has become a war zone. On 26-27 February 2026, a huge military buildup on the Durand Line between the two countries resulted in both sides trading blows in the dead, with Afghanistan launching a massive ground offensive and Pakistan countering it with strategic air strikes on Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul.
The conflict has effectively put a break on a fragile Qatar-mediated ceasefire, with both Islamabad and the Taliban-ruled government in Kabul now exchanging competing assertions of high-casualty gains.
The fighting: '15 Outposts Captured'
The Taliban’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement Friday that its forces—led individually by Chief of Army Staff Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat, the leader of the Taliban’s Army launched a general strike against Pakistani military bases in the eastern provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar and Paktika to punish military installations in Pakistan.
- Afghan claims Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesperson, alleged that Afghanistan's forces were able to seize 15 to 19 Pakistani military outposts and one headquarters.
- Casualties: Kabul reportedly shot to death around 40 to 55 Pakistani soldiers, and more are now reportedly “taken alive” in custody.
- Aftermath: The Taliban made an announcement in images and statements about the capture of a tank, an International Harvester vehicle, and dozens of light and heavy weapons.
BREAKING:
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) February 26, 2026
Afghanistan has announced large-scale operations against Pakistani military forces along the border.
“In response to repeated border violations and aggressive actions by Pakistani forces, extensive offensive operations have begun against Pakistani military bases and… pic.twitter.com/Kn2WLiSkJQ
The Retaliation: ‘Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq’
- Islamabad dismissed the Taliban’s assertions promptly as “baseless propaganda” and initiated a sweeping counter-operation called Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq (Righteous Fury).
- Islamabad’s Counter-Claim: The Information Ministry of Pakistan stated that, “their security forces carried out punishment” against the attackers, killing at least 22 to 72 Taliban personnel in turn.
- Airstrikes for Kabul: The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) ordered rare and high-profile airstrikes on military facilities in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia in just hours on Feb.
Witnesses in the capital reported three or more major explosions and the sound of anti-aircraft fire as jets roared overhead. Targeting Terror: Pakistan claims these "intelligence-based, selective operations" were to neutralize Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts from carrying out suicide bombings in Islamabad and Bajaur that are currently rampant.
An Expanding Humanitarian Crisis
The human cost of this five-day escalation has reached a dark landmark. According to United Nations monitors and Afghan officials, more than 130 people have been killed so far this week alone. The deadliest strike in the Behsud area of Nangarhar reportedly hit a civilian home, with 18 members of a single family taken down, 11 of them children, reports reported.
Although Pakistan believes they are attacking militants, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has confirmed large numbers of civilian casualties and has called for international “political dialogue” in order to ensure a more extensive regional crisis.
