- Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan on Friday, including the capital Kabul, marking a sharp escalation in hostilities between the neighboring countries. The attacks followed months of tit-for-tat clashes along their shared border. Islamabad’s defense minister subsequently declared that the two nations stood at “open war.”
Khawaja Asif, who serves as Pakistan’s defense minister, stated publicly that the situation had moved beyond limited skirmishes. “We are at open war with Afghanistan,” he said. The minister did not specify further military plans but emphasized that Pakistan would defend its territory.
Relations between Islamabad and Kabul deteriorated steadily throughout the preceding months. Both sides accused each other of harboring militant groups that launched cross-border attacks. Afghan officials repeatedly denied Pakistan’s allegations that Taliban factions used Afghan soil to stage assaults on Pakistani targets.
Conversely, Kabul accused Islamabad of providing safe haven to militants who struck inside Afghanistan. These mutual accusations fueled a cycle of border clashes and diplomatic protests that preceded Friday’s airstrikes.
The declaration of “open war” by a senior Pakistani official signaled a potential shift from sporadic border fighting to sustained military confrontation. Analysts noted that such rhetoric rarely appeared in official statements from either capital, even during previous periods of intense friction.
International observers expressed concern about the volatility of the situation. The strikes on Kabul represented a significant expansion of the conflict geography, moving hostilities from remote border areas into Afghanistan’s political center.
Afghan authorities condemned the attacks and vowed to respond. Details of immediate retaliatory measures remained unclear as of Friday evening. The Taliban-led government in Kabul had previously warned that any Pakistani incursion would meet firm resistance.
Diplomatic channels between the two capitals appeared severed following the defense minister’s statement. Neither side indicated willingness to pursue negotiations in the immediate aftermath of the strikes. Regional powers urged restraint, though no formal mediation efforts had emerged by press time.
