What Happened
- Pakistan launched airstrikes on Kabul, Kandahar, Khost, Nangarhar, and Paktika on February 22, 2026, targeting alleged Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and ISIS-Khorasan camps inside Afghanistan.
- Afghan Taliban forces retaliated on February 26, launching Operation Ghazab Lil Haq (Righteous Fury), with Afghan forces firing on Pakistani aircraft over Kabul.
- Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif formally declared the two countries are now in a state of "open war."
- The Taliban administration's spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed Afghan forces targeted Pakistani reconnaissance aircraft flying over Kabul's airspace.
- Pakistan claims to have killed 274 Taliban fighters; the Taliban counters that 19 civilians were killed, mostly women and children. Iran and the European Union have called for dialogue and restraint.
Static Topic Bridges
The Durand Line: The Root of the Dispute
The Durand Line is the 2,640-kilometre international border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, established on November 12, 1893, through an agreement between Sir Mortimer Durand (a British diplomat of the Indian Civil Service) and Abdur Rahman Khan, the Emir of Afghanistan. The line was drawn during the height of the Anglo-Russian "Great Game" to demarcate spheres of influence, effectively splitting Pashtun tribal communities across what became British India and Afghanistan.
- Upon Pakistan's creation in 1947, it inherited British India's claim to the Durand Line as its western border.
- Afghanistan has consistently refused to recognize the Durand Line as a legitimate international border, arguing the agreements were imposed under colonial duress.
- The Taliban, both the original 1996-2001 regime and the post-2021 Islamic Emirate, have refused to formally endorse the Durand Line, arguing there shall be no borders among Muslims.
- The line divides the Pashtun ethnic group, creating cross-border kinship ties that complicate enforcement.
Connection to this news: The unresolved legitimacy of the Durand Line remains the structural grievance underneath the Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict; Pakistan's demand that the Taliban seal the border against TTP infiltrators is intrinsically contested because the Taliban does not recognize the border's legitimacy.
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Pakistan's Security Dilemma
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), often called the Pakistani Taliban, is a militant umbrella organization formed in 2007. It is distinct from the Afghan Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) but ideologically aligned, sharing Salafi-Deobandi theology and Pashtun ethnic roots. Over 1,200 people were killed in TTP attacks across Pakistan in 2025 alone, including a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Islamabad that killed 36 people.
- Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of providing sanctuary to the TTP inside Afghan territory, particularly in Nangarhar and Khost provinces.
- A Qatar-brokered ceasefire in October 2025 collapsed, with Pakistan alleging that the Afghan government resumed support to TTP thereafter.
- The former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) — which was merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in 2018 — has historically been the operating ground for TTP, creating a porous borderland.
- India has condemned Pakistan's airstrikes, calling them a violation of Afghan sovereignty during the holy month of Ramadan and denying Pakistan's allegations that India is involved in the conflict.
Connection to this news: Pakistan's justification for the airstrikes is counter-terrorism — eliminating TTP bases — but the Taliban views these strikes as acts of war on its sovereign territory, escalating the confrontation beyond a mere security operation.
India's Strategic Position in the Pakistan-Afghanistan Conflict
India has been gradually expanding diplomatic engagement with Afghanistan's Taliban-led government since 2021, culminating in a high-profile visit by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to New Delhi in November 2025. India has also provided humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. Pakistan has alleged — without evidence accepted internationally — that India funds militant groups operating across the Af-Pak border.
- India's MEA stated it "strongly condemns Pakistan's airstrikes on Afghan territory" resulting in civilian casualties.
- India reiterated its support for Afghanistan's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence.
- MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called Pakistan's accusations of Indian involvement "another attempt by Pakistan to externalise its internal failures."
- India-Afghanistan trade and connectivity aspirations are linked to the INSTC (International North-South Transport Corridor), which traverses Iran.
Connection to this news: The Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict places India in a rare position where its stated position — respect for sovereignty — aligns with the Taliban government's grievances, reshaping the triangular India-Pakistan-Afghanistan dynamic.
Key Facts & Data
- The Durand Line is 2,640 km long, established in 1893 by British diplomat Mortimer Durand and Afghan Emir Abdur Rahman Khan.
- Pakistan's Operation Ghazab Lil Haq (Righteous Fury) was launched in response to Afghan retaliation on February 26, 2026.
- More than 1,200 people were killed in TTP attacks inside Pakistan in 2025.
- The October 2025 Qatar-brokered ceasefire between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban broke down within months.
- Pakistan has accused the Taliban of sheltering TTP in provinces of Nangarhar, Khost, and Paktika.
- FATA was merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018 under the 25th Constitutional Amendment.
- Iran and the EU have called for dialogue; India has condemned civilian casualties from Pakistan's strikes.