March 01, 2026 : Kabul witnessed explosions and bursts of gunfire before sunrise on Sunday, as Afghanistan said it had launched air defence attacks against Pakistani aircraft over the capital. The flare-up marks a sharp escalation in tensions between the two neighbours and comes at a time when the wider region is already unsettled by U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliatory attacks on U.S. targets in Gulf states.
A Reuters witness reported that blasts echoed across parts of Kabul in the early hours, followed by sustained gunfire. It was not immediately clear what had been hit or whether there were casualties.
Taliban administration spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghan forces had targeted Pakistani aircraft flying over Kabul. He sought to reassure residents, stating that air defence systems had been activated and that there was no cause for panic.
There was no immediate response from Pakistan’s prime minister’s office, information ministry or military.
Retaliation and Counter-Claims
The confrontation follows a series of Pakistani air strikes inside Afghanistan earlier this week. Islamabad said those strikes targeted militant infrastructure, while Kabul described them as a violation of its sovereignty and announced retaliatory operations along the shared border.
The two countries share a 2,600-km frontier that has long been volatile. The latest fighting is described as the heaviest in years, raising fears of a prolonged conflict.
Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of harbouring militants from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the TTP, which Islamabad says is responsible for an insurgency within Pakistan. Afghan authorities have repeatedly denied the allegation, maintaining that they do not allow their territory to be used against other countries and that Pakistan’s security challenges are an internal matter.
Pakistani security sources said an operation named “Ghazab Lil Haq” was underway and claimed that Pakistani forces had destroyed Afghan border posts and camps. Both sides have reported significant losses, though casualty figures differ and could not be independently verified.
Regional and International Concern
The escalation has drawn international attention. Countries including Qatar and Saudi Arabia have called for restraint and offered to help mediate a ceasefire. Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, the European Union and the United Nations have all urged dialogue.
Iran, which shares borders with both Afghanistan and Pakistan, had earlier offered to facilitate talks between the two sides before itself coming under attack from Israel and the United States in a separate conflict aimed at weakening Iran’s military capabilities.
The United States said it supports Pakistan’s right to defend itself.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif described the situation as “open war,” underscoring the seriousness of the confrontation. Afghanistan’s Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani warned that the conflict would be “very costly,” adding that only frontline forces were currently engaged and that Afghanistan had not yet fully deployed its military.
With both sides trading accusations and military action intensifying, diplomatic efforts appear urgent as the risk of a sustained cross-border war grows. – Reuters
