Pakistan bombs Kabul: Why are Afghanistan and Pakistan fighting?

Pakistani defence minister says Pakistan and Afghanistan are now at ‘open war’.

Pakistan has launched air strikes on Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, and other cities, as clashes escalate along the two countries’ shared border. On Friday, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Islamabad’s patience had run out with the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan, declaring that the two countries are now at “open war”.

The declaration came hours after Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah ⁠Mujahid said Afghanistan was carrying out “large-scale offensive operations” against the Pakistani military along the Durand Line, which separates the two countries. This follows weeks of fighting along the countries’ shared border, with both sides claiming that dozens of people have been killed. Hostilities are taking place against a backdrop of an escalation in tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities since the latter’s return to power in 2021.

What has happened?

On Friday, Pakistani officials said Afghan forces had attacked military positions close to the border, prompting Islamabad to launch air strikes on targets inside Afghanistan, including in the capital, Kabul, and in other cities.