2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict

An armed conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan began in late February 2026 following Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan's Nangarhar, Paktika, and Khost provinces. Pakistan said the strikes targeted militant camps and hideouts linked to the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS–K), and described them as retaliation for recent terrorist attacks in Islamabad, Bajaur, and Bannu. Taliban officials and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), however, said the attacks caused civilian casualties, although they reported different figures.

After the initial airstrikes on 21–22 February, fighting quickly expanded into a broader cross-border confrontation involving airstrikes, artillery fire, drone incidents, and clashes at multiple points along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border. On 26 February, Taliban authorities announced what they described as a calculated response to the earlier Pakistani airstrikes, saying that Taliban forces had attacked Pakistani military positions and border outposts. Pakistan responded by declaring an "open war" against Afghanistan and launching Operation Ghazab Lil Haq, a large-scale campaign involving air and ground strikes against Taliban positions in several Afghan provinces, including Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, Nangarhar, Khost, and Paktika.

Both sides released sharply different casualty figures and military claims throughout the conflict, with each denying or disputing the other’s assertions regarding losses, damage, and responsibility for civilian harm. Pakistani officials said hundreds of Taliban fighters had been killed, dozens of border outposts destroyed or captured, and military infrastructure hit across Afghanistan. Taliban officials, meanwhile, said that Pakistani strikes had caused civilian casualties and damage to homes, shops, and public facilities, and that Taliban forces had inflicted significant losses on Pakistani troops and positions. Independent reporting and satellite imagery indicated that many of Pakistan’s strikes appeared to hit military-related sites.

The conflict also had wider humanitarian and political consequences. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported dozens of civilian deaths and injuries and urged both sides to protect civilians and comply with international law. Some Pakistani strikes also hit civilian infrastructure and at least over 20 healthcare facilities in Afghanistan. Thousands of people were displaced on both sides of the border. Reports from Afghanistan described pressure on civilians to join anti-Pakistan protests, forced conscription and efforts to compel former Afghan soldiers to assist Taliban forces against Pakistan. Taliban authorities also restricted domestic media coverage of Pakistani strikes, warned against the publication of images and details from targeted areas, and limited independent reporting on casualties and damage inside Afghanistan.