By Micah Jonah, ebruary 25, 2026
New clashes erupted along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border this week, following Pakistani air strikes on eastern Afghanistan that intensified tensions. Both countries accused each other of initiating the violence.
Afghan officials reported that Pakistani forces opened fire in the Shahkot area of Nangarhar Province. No Afghan casualties were reported, and the fighting has since subsided. Pakistan, however, claimed that Afghan forces fired first near the Torkham border crossing, describing their own response as “immediate and effective” and labeling Afghan actions as “Taliban aggression.”
The clashes come after Pakistani air strikes on Nangarhar and Paktika provinces on Sunday, which the UN mission in Afghanistan said killed at least 13 civilians. Pakistan stated that the strikes targeted armed groups responsible for attacks inside Pakistan, including a deadly suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Islamabad.
Afghanistan’s Taliban government reported at least 18 deaths and denied Pakistan’s claim that over 80 fighters were killed. The Afghan Defence Ministry condemned the strikes, noting that residential homes and a religious school were hit, causing civilian casualties, including women and children.
Relations between the two neighbours have deteriorated in recent months. Land border crossings have largely remained closed since deadly clashes in October 2025 that killed more than 70 people on both sides. Afghanistan’s Taliban government also rejected Pakistan’s accusations that it allowed armed groups to operate from its territory.
The Afghan government warned it would respond “in due course with a measured and appropriate response” to attacks on civilians and religious sites.
Tensions remain high, with both sides accusing each other of aggression along a border long marked by insecurity and intermittent violence.
