Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged cross-border attacks overnight in a dramatic escalation of tensions that led Pakistan’s defense minister to say on Friday that the two countries are in a state of “open war.”
Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack on Pakistan late Thursday, saying it was in retaliation for deadly Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas Sunday. Pakistan then carried out airstrikes in Kabul and two other Afghan provinces early Friday, saying it targeted military installations.
Tensions have been high for months, with border clashes in October killing dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of harboring militant groups that then stage attacks across the border and also of allying with its archrival India.
A Qatari-mediated ceasefire ended the fighting, although the two sides still occasionally trade fire. Several rounds of peace talks in Istanbul in November failed to produce a lasting agreement.
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Pakistan is in ‘Open War’ with Afghanistan After Latest Strikes, Defense Minister Says
27/02/2026
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Nous travaillons côte à côte avec les victimes pour obtenir la reconnaissance et la réparation des violations massives des droits humains, demander des comptes aux responsables, réformer et construire des institutions démocratiques et prévenir la répétition de la violence ou de la répression.