“Our patience has run out”, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif wrote in a social media post on Friday (February 27, 2026). “Now it is open war between us and you.” Mr. Asif’s remarks came after Pakistan carried out air strikes on Kabul and Kandahar, Afghanistan’s two largest cities, and Paktia, a border province. The strikes were launched hours after Afghan troops attacked Pakistani border posts. Those attacks, in turn, followed earlier Pakistani strikes this week, which Islamabad claimed were carried out in retaliation for recent terror attacks inside its territory.
How Pakistan and the Taliban, former allies, slid into ‘open war’
Explore the escalating conflict between Pakistan and the Taliban, as former allies become bitter adversaries amid border disputes and security threats.
