Pakistan Declares “Open War” with Afghanistan After Cross-Border Strikes
Islamabad: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif declared early Friday that Pakistan considers itself in “open war” with neighbouring Afghanistan following escalating cross-border attacks and retaliatory strikes.
In a post on X, Asif criticised the Taliban, accusing them of turning Afghanistan “into a colony of India,” harbouring militants, and exporting terrorism. “Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us,” he said. There has been no immediate reaction from Afghan officials.
The announcement comes after Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia provinces in retaliation for what Islamabad described as Afghan attacks on its territory. Both sides have issued conflicting casualty figures. Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry claimed 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed and several captured, while reporting eight Afghan soldiers killed and 11 wounded. Pakistan reported two soldiers killed and claimed at least 133 Afghan fighters were killed, with more than 200 wounded. Independent verification of these claims is not available.
Senior Pakistani security officials said Afghan forces raised white flags at some border posts, a sign to halt firing, but Pakistani forces continued operations against “unprovoked aggression” and targeted key Taliban posts.
Asif also criticised the Taliban for denying Afghan citizens basic rights, including women’s rights, and said Pakistan had previously sought stability in Afghanistan both directly and through friendly countries. “Today, when attempts were made to target Pakistan with aggression, by the grace of God, our armed forces are giving a decisive response,” he added.
The clashes have displaced dozens of Afghan refugees who were returning from Pakistan’s northwestern Torkham border, forcing authorities to move them to safer locations. Millions of Afghan refugees had returned from Pakistan in recent years, including nearly 2.9 million last year alone, according to the U.N. refugee agency.
The latest escalation comes months after Qatar and Turkey mediated a ceasefire between the two nations, signalling a sharp deterioration in relations along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
By RSS/AP
