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News: Pakistan Declares 'Open War' on Afghanistan as

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif declared the country is in 'open war' with Afghanistan on February 27, 2026, following a dramatic escalation of cross-border hostilities that has seen Pakistani airstrikes hit the Afghan capital Kabul and at least 21 other locations across the country. The declaration came hours after Taliban forces launched what they described as 'extensive preemptive operations' against Pakistani military positions along the 2,611-kilometer Durand Line. 'Our cup of patience has overflowed. Now it is open war between us and you,' Asif stated, accusing the Taliban government of harboring the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group responsible for a wave of deadly attacks inside Pakistan. The Pakistani military said it struck 22 locations across Afghanistan, including targets in Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, Jalalabad, Khost, Paktika, and Laghman provinces. The escalation marks the most serious military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, and has drawn urgent calls for a ceasefire from the United Nations, China, Russia, Turkey, and Qatar. Casualty figures remain heavily disputed, with both sides claiming significant enemy losses while the full civilian toll remains unclear.

PakistanAfghanistanTaliban

Developing: Pakistan Declares 'Open War' on Afghanistan

Pakistan declared "open war" on Afghanistan on Friday after the two South Asian neighbors exchanged overnight airstrikes and ground attacks in the most significant military escalation between them in decades. Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said Pakistan's "patience has run out" after the Afghan Taliban launched what it called retaliatory strikes on Pakistani military installations, triggering Pakistani bombing raids on Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia province. The fighting represents a sharp departure from the fragile ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey in October 2025, which had held despite sporadic border skirmishes. Both sides claimed heavy casualties — Pakistan's military spokesperson said 274 Taliban fighters were killed across 22 targeted sites, while the Taliban claimed 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 19 army posts destroyed. The BBC, CBS News, NBC News, and Fox News all report that independent verification of these claims has not been possible. For financial markets, the conflict introduces a new source of geopolitical risk in South Asia — a region where nuclear-armed Pakistan shares a 1,615-mile border with Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The implications extend from defense sector spending to oil supply route concerns and emerging market contagion, arriving at a moment when global investors are already navigating elevated uncertainty from the U.S.-Iran nuclear standoff and ongoing Russia-Ukraine tensions.

Pakistan Afghanistan wardefense stocksgeopolitical risk