Pakistan said it is in “open war” with Afghanistan after both sides carried out cross-border strikes.
Islamabad claimed to have killed more than 130 Taliban targets in Kabul and elsewhere, with Pakistan’s defense minister warning “there will be chaos and reckoning.” The attacks follow years of tensions: Pakistan accuses the Afghan authorities of doing little to halt militant groups operating in the region, with their porous border providing a safe haven for militants.
The fraying ties prompted Islamabad to return almost three million Afghan nationals in recent months, straining Kabul’s scant resources. The conflict also threatens to worsen Afghanistan’s already grave humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by Western aid cuts following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.