Security sources in Pakistan said there have been air-to-ground missile attacks on Taliban offices and military posts in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia as well as ground clashes in many areas along the border between the two Islamic countries.
Our patience is running out. Now, it is the outbreak of war between us and Afghanistan," Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on February 27.
The Taliban said they have launched retaliatory attacks targeting Pakistani military facilities.
Relations between Kabul and Islamabad are tense due to a long-standing dispute over Pakistan's allegations that Afghanistan hosts terrorist elements carrying out cross-border attacks. The Taliban denied this accusation, saying Pakistan's security is an internal matter.
The attack on Taliban government facilities is a serious escalation and risks leading to a prolonged conflict along the 2,600km long border.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that Pakistani forces had carried out airstrikes in some areas of Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia but did not provide details.
Kandahar is the Taliban's headquarters and the city where Supreme Spiritual Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada operates.
Pakistani counter-attacks on targets in Afghanistan continue" - Pakistani government spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi informed, emphasizing this move as a response to "Afghanistan's groundless attacks".
Witnesses in Kabul said they could hear many ambulance sirens after loud explosions and plane crashes.
Spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi said that 133 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed and more than 200 injured, with 27 strongholds destroyed and 9 strongholds occupied.
Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Mujahid said that 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 19 strongholds were occupied, while 8 Taliban soldiers were killed, 11 were injured and 13 civilians were injured in Nangarhar province.
Pakistan's military capabilities are far superior to Afghanistan's. However, the Taliban is very good at guerrilla tactics, trained through decades of fighting with US-led forces, before returning to power in 2021.
The clash between Pakistan and Afghanistan in October 2025 killed dozens of soldiers. The conflict ended after negotiations mediated by Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
The Foreign Ministers of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had a phone call on February 27 to discuss de-escalation. Riyadh did not provide details about whether to participate in mediating the ceasefire or not.
Russia, the only country officially recognizing the Taliban government, called for an end to the conflict and said it would consider mediating if requested by both sides, according to the country's Foreign Ministry.
Pakistan has been placed on high security alert since the country launched airstrikes earlier this week targeting Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) camps - the Pakistani Taliban and gunmen of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization in eastern Afghanistan.
Kabul and the United Nations said that the airstrikes killed 13 civilians. The Taliban also affirmed that it would not allow terrorist elements to operate from its territory and warned that there would be a strong response.
On February 27, the Punjab provincial government of Pakistan confirmed that it was on high alert for attacks and conducted a series of security operations to bring 90 Afghan citizens to detention centers for deportation.
Bakhtar News Agency - a state news agency in Nangarhar, Afghanistan - shared images of a battalion of suicide attackers and quoted an Afghan security source as saying that the bombers were equipped with jackets containing explosives and car bombs and ready to attack large targets.
In recent days, Pakistani officials have expressed concern about the escalation of militant attacks in urban centers.
