Pakistan bombs targets in Afghan cities, minister calls it 'open war'
Pakistan bombs targets in Afghan cities, minister calls it 'open war'
By Mohammad Yunus Yawar and Asif ShahzadFri, February 27, 2026 at 12:49 PM UTC
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1 / 0Taliban soldiers carry rocket launcher in a vehicle near Torkham borderTaliban soldiers carry a box containing weapons, following exchanges of fire between Pakistan and Afghanistan forces, near Torkham border in Afghanistan, February 27, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
By Mohammad Yunus Yawar and Asif Shahzad
KABUL/ISLAMABAD, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Pakistan bombed Taliban government forces in Afghanistan's major cities overnight, the first time it has directly targeted its former allies over allegations they are harbouring militants, describing the situation as "open war".
The Pakistani strikes hit the capital Kabul and the city of Kandahar, where Taliban leaders are based. It was the first time Islamabad has attacked Taliban military facilities rather than militants it says are backed by the group, a stark rupture in ties between the Islamic neighbours.
Security sources in Pakistan said the strikes involved air-to-ground missile attacks on Taliban military offices and posts in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia province in response to Afghan attacks on Thursday.
The Taliban, which denies sponsoring militant attacks on Pakistan and makes similar accusations against its neighbour, said it had launched what it described as retaliatory attacks on Pakistani military installations on Thursday but was ready to negotiate.
Multiple ground clashes were reported along the border and both sides said they had inflicted heavy losses on the other, issuing sharply differing figures that Reuters could not independently verify.
"Our cup of patience has overflowed. Now it is open war between us and you (Afghanistan)," Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Friday.
The strikes threaten to unleash a protracted conflict along the 2,600-km (1,615-mile) frontier.
Pakistan is nuclear-armed and its military capabilities are vastly superior to Afghanistan. However, the Taliban are adept at guerrilla warfare, hardened by decades of fighting with U.S.-led forces, before returning to power in 2021.
Russia, China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are trying to mediate in the Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict, diplomats and news reports said. Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi told his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan a solution would require commitment from the other side, the Afghan ministry said.
Iran, which borders both Afghanistan and Pakistan, also offered to help, although it is in the midst of high-stakes talks with Washington on resolving their longstanding nuclear dispute and averting new U.S. strikes on Iran.
A video of strikes on Kabul, for which Reuters was able to verify the location, showed thick plumes of black smoke rising from two sites and a massive blaze in part of the capital.
Kabul taxi driver Tamim said he was asleep when he heard the sound of an aircraft, which was followed by strikes on what appeared to be a weapons depot.
"We woke up, and the plane came and dropped two bombs, then flew away again. After that, we heard explosions," he said.
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"Everyone, in panic, ran down from the second floor of the house. The ammunition inside the depot kept exploding on its own."
Reuters witnesses in Kabul said many ambulance sirens could be heard following loud blasts and the sound of jets.
Pakistani air strikes hit 22 Afghan military targets, killing 274 Taliban officials and militants, military spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told reporters. At least 12 Pakistani soldiers were also killed, he said.
"An effective, immediate and brutal response was given," Chaudhry said.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 19 posts seized.
He confirmed that Pakistani forces carried out air strikes on parts of Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia on Thursday night, and on Paktia, Paktika, Khost, and Laghman on Friday.
While there were no casualties in the night strikes, there were civilian casualties in Friday's strikes, he told reporters without sharing numbers. Thirteen Taliban fighters were killed and 12 wounded in "retaliatory operations" that lasted two hours, he added.
"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has always tried to resolve issues through dialogue, and now also we want to resolve this matter through dialogue," Mujahid said.
The Taliban defence ministry said earlier that it had "successfully conducted" drone attacks on military targets in Pakistan. Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the strikes were carried out by Pakistani Taliban militants and all the drones brought down with "no damage to life".
Videos shared by Pakistani security officials showed flashes of light in the night from firing along the border and the sound of heavy artillery.
Clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan in October killed dozens of soldiers until negotiations facilitated by Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia brought an end to the hostilities.
Pakistan has been on high security alert since it launched air strikes earlier this week that Islamabad said targeted camps of Pakistani Taliban and Islamic State militants in eastern Afghanistan.
Kabul and the United Nations said the strikes killed 13 civilians and the Taliban warned there would be a strong response.
The government of Pakistan's Punjab province said it was on high alert for militant attacks on Friday and had conducted a series of security operations, taking 90 Afghan nationals to holding centres for deportation.
(Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar and Sayed Hassib in Kabul, Asif Shahzad in Islamabad, Ariba Shahid in Karachi, Mubasher Bukhari in Lahore, Mushtaq Ali in Peshawar and Saud Mehsud in Dera Ismail Khan; Additional reporting by Vinaya K and Fernando Robles; Writing by Saad Sayeed and YP Rajesh; Editing by Stephen Coates, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Philippa Fletcher)
Source: “AOL Breaking”
