What began as Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border provinces on Sunday quickly spiraled into a full-scale military confrontation between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Within days, the conflict escalated from localized border clashes to Pakistani bombing raids on Kabul itself, with both nations declaring war. This timeline tracks the rapid deterioration of relations between the two neighboring countries from February 22-27, 2026.
10 events · 1 days · 30 source articles
Pakistan conducted deadly airstrikes on Afghanistan's Nangarhar and Paktika provinces overnight into Sunday. According to the UN and Afghan authorities, these strikes killed at least 18 people, including civilians. The strikes followed suicide blasts on Pakistani soil that Islamabad blamed on militants operating from Afghanistan.
Both Pakistan and Afghanistan reported exchanging cross-border fire on Tuesday, though no casualties were reported from these clashes. This marked a continuation of tensions following Sunday's Pakistani airstrikes, signaling that the conflict was not de-escalating despite a fragile ceasefire agreement from October.
The Afghan Taliban military announced it had launched major attacks on Pakistani military positions along the Durand Line border on Thursday evening. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the operations were in retaliation for the deadly Sunday airstrikes. Afghan forces claimed to have captured 15 Pakistani army outposts and inflicted heavy casualties with no losses on their side.
Pakistan acknowledged the Afghan attacks, confirming that two soldiers were killed and three injured in what it called 'unprovoked fire' from Afghan Taliban forces. Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced Pakistan would give an immediate response to the attacks. People in Pakistan's border regions reported hearing explosions and were asked to evacuate to safety.
Pakistan launched airstrikes on Afghanistan's capital Kabul and the cities of Kandahar and Paktia early Friday morning, around 1:50am local time. Multiple explosions were heard in Kabul as Pakistani jets bombed Taliban military installations. This marked the first time Pakistan had struck the Afghan capital since the Taliban's return to power in 2021, representing a dramatic escalation of the conflict.
Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif declared that Pakistan's patience had 'run out' and that the country was now in 'open war' with Afghanistan. He accused the Taliban of turning Afghanistan into 'a colony of India,' gathering militants from around the world, and 'exporting terrorism.' Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called the strikes a 'befitting response' to Afghan aggression.
Pakistan's military claimed Operation Ghazab lil Haq ('Righteous Fury') killed 133 Taliban fighters and targeted military installations. Afghan officials countered that they had killed 55 Pakistani soldiers and captured 19 outposts. Both sides issued vastly different casualty counts, making the true toll difficult to verify independently.
Fresh clashes were reported near the strategically important Torkham border crossing as the conflict entered its second day. Smoke rose over nearby mountains while shelling echoed across the frontier. Civilians living near refugee camps fled overnight, fearing further attacks. Local residents reported exhaustion and hoped for reconciliation after months of instability.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning announced that China was closely following developments and was deeply concerned about the escalation. As a neighbor and friend to both countries, China stated it had been working for mediation via its own channels and stood ready to continue playing a constructive role in de-escalation.
By Friday afternoon, localized clashes continued along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, with Taliban officials reporting Pakistani aircraft continuing to fly over Afghan territory. Civilians in border areas fled to safety as the situation remained tense. The conflict showed no signs of immediate de-escalation despite international concern, with the Qatar-mediated ceasefire from October appearing completely shattered.