Islamabad confirms air raids on Afghan cities
Pakistan strikes on Afghanistan escalated dramatically overnight as Islamabad confirmed it carried out air raids on Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktika in what it described as retaliation for earlier attacks by the Afghan Taliban.
A Pakistani government official confirmed the strikes on the Afghan capital, while Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar said the armed forces had responded to “unprovoked aggression” and targeted militant hideouts.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared the country has the “full capability to crush any aggressive ambitions,” while Defence Minister Khawaja Asif described the situation as “open war” with the Taliban government.
Blasts reported in Kabul overnight
Residents in Kabul reported loud explosions in the early hours of the morning. An AFP team said blasts shook the city around 01:50 local time, accompanied by the sound of jets and gunfire.
A resident of Dasht-e Barchi in Kabul’s District 6 told the BBC that his house shook violently following one of the explosions.
“First, we thought it was an earthquake,” he said, referring to recent tremors in the capital. “Then we heard a loud explosion.”
He said jets were seen flying overhead shortly after the blast and that people remained awake throughout the night in fear.
#NEW: Massive clashes are ongoing between Pakistan and Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/4TYhcmxXIL
— Globe Observer (@_GlobeObserver) February 26, 2026
Conflicting casualty claims
Both sides have issued sharply conflicting accounts of casualties and battlefield losses following the latest Pakistan Afghanistan strikes.
According to Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesperson for Pakistan’s prime minister, 133 Afghan Taliban fighters have been killed and more than 200 wounded in recent operations. He also claimed dozens of Taliban posts had been destroyed.
Taliban officials, however, denied suffering injuries in the latest strikes on Kabul, Paktia, and Kandahar. Earlier, the Taliban defence ministry claimed it had killed 55 Pakistani soldiers and captured military posts along the border- a claim Islamabad has rejected.
In Nangarhar province, Taliban officials alleged that Pakistani rockets struck a refugee camp, injuring nine people- seven women and two men- with one person reported in critical condition.
Tensions flare after fragile ceasefire
The latest escalation follows months of deteriorating relations between the two neighbours.
A fragile ceasefire agreed in October 2025 had briefly reduced hostilities, with Turkey and Qatar attempting to mediate between the two sides. However, negotiations failed to secure a broader agreement to fully end clashes.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of harbouring anti-Pakistan militants responsible for suicide attacks, including a recent bombing at a mosque in Islamabad. Islamabad maintains its strikes are aimed at militant hideouts rather than civilians.
The Taliban government denies allowing Afghan territory to be used against any foreign country and accuses Pakistan of carrying out unprovoked attacks that have killed civilians.
Taliban response and regional mediation efforts
A Taliban spokesperson initially posted on X that retaliatory attacks had been launched against Pakistani troops in Kandahar and Helmand, though the post was later deleted. A Taliban military spokesperson told the BBC: “We will retaliate if we are attacked, but we won’t start clashes at the moment.”
Sources told the BBC’s Afghan service that Taliban attacks from Kandahar and Helmand have since stopped.
International calls for de-escalation are growing. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk urged both sides to adhere to international law and protect civilians.
The UN Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, called for “calm and respect for international human rights & humanitarian law.”
Iran has also offered to facilitate dialogue between Pakistan and Afghanistan, while Saudi Arabia confirmed its foreign minister discussed regional tensions with his Pakistani counterpart.
BREAKING: 🇵🇰🇦🇫 A Taliban commander, speaking on Afghan state television, issued a threat toward Pakistan, saying: “If Pakistan is proud of nukes and missiles, we have battalions of suicide bombers.” pic.twitter.com/kqKVa0ly1N
— War Radar (@War_Radar2) February 26, 2026
Analysts: Conventional war unlikely
Analysts told BBC Urdu that it is unlikely the Afghan Taliban would engage in a conventional war with Pakistan, citing the significant disparity in military capability.
Pakistan’s armed forces are ranked among the world’s strongest militaries and possess nuclear weapons. By contrast, the Taliban’s arsenal largely consists of weapons left behind by former Afghan forces, foreign troops, or acquired through other channels.
Experts note that the Taliban have historically relied on guerrilla tactics rather than conventional warfare.
🚨 BIG BREAKING NEWS💥
— Afghanistan Defense (@AFGDefense) February 27, 2026
This is a Pakistani military F-16, American-made, that Afghan defensive forces have shot down. pic.twitter.com/7qBAjv89rk
Situation remains tense but calm
By early morning, residents in Kabul, Kandahar, and Nangarhar reported that the immediate situation had calmed, though both sides remain on high alert.
There are currently no independently verified reports of casualties from the latest strikes in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktika.
The situation remains fluid, with both governments continuing to exchange accusations over who initiated the latest round of violence.
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