The Pakistani government claimed to have bombed Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, in the early hours of Friday (27), and declared that it was in an “open war” with the neighboring country, in an escalation of the conflict that has already become the most serious incident between the two countries since the Taliban returned to power.
The Pakistani prime minister’s foreign press spokesman, Mosharraf Zaidi, reported that Pakistani counterattacks hit “military targets” in Kabul, Paktia and Kandahar. In turn, the Taliban’s main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, confirmed the attacks on the capital and claimed that there were no victims.
The Afghan regime added that the country carried out “major retaliatory operations against Pakistani military positions in Kandahar and Helmand”.
The forces of the Taliban regime and Pakistan have been maintaining intense nightly fighting since this Thursday at several points on the border, after the launch of an operation coordinated by Kabul along the so-called Durand Line, which occurs five days after a series of air raids by Pakistan.
According to Zaidi, the Pakistani attacks caused the death of 133 Taliban and left more than 200 injured.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, also spoke on the social network
Pakistan is experiencing a spike in internal violence, with armed attacks in border areas with Afghanistan that have increased since the Taliban took over Kabul in August 2021.
The Pakistani government systematically accuses the Afghan regime of giving refuge to terrorist groups on its territory, an accusation that the other side rejects.
Russia and China try to avoid escalating the conflict
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to cease hostilities and return to dialogue.
“We urge Afghanistan and Pakistan, both friendly to us, to abandon this dangerous confrontation and return to the negotiating table to resolve all differences through political and diplomatic means,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement published on Telegram.
After Russia’s isolation as a result of the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, the Kremlin approached diplomatically the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, one of the few countries that were open, at that time, to working with Moscow.
Russia is the only country in the world that officially recognizes the regime in power and stopped considering the Islamic Emirate a terrorist group in April 2025.
China declared on Friday that it has been mediating “through its own channels” to ease tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan and expressed its willingness to continue playing “a constructive role” following the recent military escalation between the two countries, where it maintains economic interests.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press conference today that Beijing is “deeply concerned” about the situation and “sad for the victims” of the clashes.
Xi Jinping’s regime has called on both sides to guarantee the security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in their respective countries.
China maintains close strategic ties with Pakistan, which it considers a key partner in the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and has repeatedly demanded security guarantees following attacks on Chinese workers on Pakistani soil.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, Beijing has also developed a pragmatic relationship with Kabul, focused on security cooperation and protecting their economic interests.
