18.10.2026 00:40
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have escalated again. Violent clashes broke out between the security forces of the two countries on the border of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan. It was reported that the Pakistani army targeted Afghan positions with artillery support, while Afghan forces responded. It was claimed that some Pakistani Taliban militants trying to cross into Pakistan were killed in the clashes.
It was reported that the Pakistan Army and Afghan security forces engaged in mutual clashes at various points along the border of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan.
FIERCE CLASHES ALONG THE BORDER
According to a report by the Associated Press (AP) based on unnamed Pakistani officials, the Pakistan Army and Afghan security forces clashed at various points along the border in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. During the clash, the Pakistan Army destroyed Afghan security forces' border positions with fire support from artillery units. Afghan security forces along the border also opened fire toward the Pakistani side. It was claimed that "an unspecified number of Pakistan Taliban (TTP) militants trying to cross into Pakistan were killed" in the clash.
WHAT HAD HAPPENED?
Tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated over the past two years with mutual military operations and border clashes. On December 24, 2024, the Pakistan Army carried out airstrikes on targets in Afghanistan's Paktika province that it stated belonged to the Pakistan Taliban (TTP). The Afghan administration announced that 46 people, including women and children, lost their lives in the strikes.
Tension between the two countries turned into fierce clashes again in October 2025. After Pakistan's airstrikes on Afghan territory, Afghan forces targeted Pakistani positions along the border. Following clashes in which dozens of people lost their lives, a ceasefire was reached on October 19 under the mediation of Türkiye and Qatar. Although it was decided at talks held in Istanbul to maintain the ceasefire, subsequent negotiations did not bring a lasting solution.
In February 2026, clashes intensified again with airstrikes that the Pakistan Army announced targeted armed groups in Afghanistan. After Afghan forces retaliated, Pakistan carried out airstrikes on many locations, including the capital Kabul and Kandahar. Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif described the situation between the two countries as "open war" on February 27.
During the clashes that continued in March as well, the Afghan administration claimed on March 16 that more than 400 people lost their lives in a Pakistani airstrike on a drug addiction treatment center in Kabul. Pakistan, however, rejected the claim that civilian settlements were targeted and argued that it struck military facilities and terrorist infrastructure. The death toll regarding the attack could not be verified by independent sources.
THE TERRORISM PROBLEM IN PAKISTAN
Armed attacks in Pakistan are concentrated especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, which border Afghanistan. In both provinces, armed groups claiming to defend the rights of Pashtun and Baloch ethnic groups carry out attacks on Pakistani security forces and civilians. While Islamabad argues that the Pakistan Taliban (TTP) is positioned in Afghanistan and organizes its attacks from there, the Afghan administration rejects these claims. In Balochistan, attacks by the "Balochistan Liberation Army" (BLA) come to the fore. The BLA wants Balochistan to separate from Pakistan and the Baloch people to govern this region.