Pakistan-Afghanistan ‘war’ highlights: US backs Islamabad's 'right to defend itself' against Kabul

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: The Omari camp near the Torkham border crossing, which houses returnees from Pakistan, was hit by a mortar shell overnight, AFP quoted a Nangarhar provincial official as saying.

“Unfortunately seven of our refugees have been wounded, and the condition of one woman is serious,” said Qureshi Badlun, Nangarhar’s information chief.

The incident comes amid ongoing clashes between Pakistani forces and Taliban security personnel along the border.

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: According to Pakistan’s information minister Attaullah Tarar, 133 Afghan Taliban fighters have been killed and more than 200 injured in the fighting.

The Taliban government, however, reported that eight of its fighters were killed and 11 wounded. It also claimed to have killed 55 Pakistani soldiers and captured two military bases and 19 posts.

Pakistan says two of its personnel were killed in the ongoing cross-border clashes.

(Agencies)

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: As fighting continues along the border, several international actors have called for restraint and diplomacy to prevent further escalation.

United Nations: UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the UN Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan Richard Bennett have appealed for calm, stressing the protection of civilians and adherence to international human rights and humanitarian law. Bennett said on X, “Immediate de-escalation is essential,” echoing Guterres’ earlier calls for dialogue.

Iran: Foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi offered to help facilitate talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Posting on X, he said Tehran is ready to provide any assistance to strengthen understanding and cooperation, urging both neighbours to resolve differences through dialogue and good neighbourliness.

China: Beijing voiced deep concern over the clashes. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the country has been mediating through its own channels and is willing to play a constructive role in cooling the situation, reported Reuters.

Russia: Moscow has urged Pakistan and Afghanistan to immediately stop cross-border attacks and resolve differences through diplomatic means, according to the Russian foreign ministry cited by RIA news agency.

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: China has expressed deep concern over the recent escalation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where clashes erupted after the Taliban launched what it described as retaliatory strikes on Pakistani installations, Reuters reported on Friday.

During a regular press briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing has been mediating the conflict through its own channels and is willing to play a constructive role in easing tensions between the two neighbours.

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: Russia has called on Pakistan and Afghanistan to immediately stop cross-border attacks and resolve their differences through diplomacy, reported RIA news agency on Friday, citing the Russian foreign ministry.

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: Gunfire and shelling was reported by news agency AFP journalists near the key Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan on Friday, as deadly clashes resumed between the neighbours.

Incoming shelling was heard from the Afghan side from around 9:30 am (0500 GMT), followed by cross-border exchanges, while distant gunfire echoed across the frontier.

One journalist saw additional Afghan soldiers moving toward the border before being instructed to leave the area by security forces.

Despite the fighting, the Torkham crossing has remained open for Afghans returning from Pakistan, even though most of the land border has been largely closed since deadly clashes in October.

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: The news agency AFP's journalists on the ground have reported fresh clashes near a major Afghanistan-Pakistan border crossing.

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: Reacting to Pakistan’s airstrikes in Afghanistan, Mariam Solaimankhil, a member of Afghanistan’s Parliament in Exile, said she does not believe Pakistan’s intelligence agency is truly opposed to the Taliban, arguing that the links run deep.

“Please show me one leader of the Taliban that's gone... The fighting is happening in Pashtuns and Baloch area and they are the ones who are dying... The story is a lot more twisted than it seems,” she said.

She also alleged that Pakistan stands to gain from the conflict, claiming it could use the skirmish to seek fresh financial assistance, including loans from the IMF.

(ANI)

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: Commenting on Pakistan’s airstrikes in Afghanistan, Mariam Solaimankhil, a member of Afghanistan’s Parliament in Exile, said, "Every time Pakistan conducts an airstrike, they say they are killing 'terrorists,' yet I have not heard a single name of a terrorist they say they killed. Meanwhile, Pakistan has long harboured and worked with groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, and it sheltered Osama-bin-Laden... Now Pakistan is fighting the monster it helped create. They made a business out of terrorism; destabilisation has been foundational to how the state has operated in the region... They are the cancer in the region."

"It’s women and children being killed... Look at Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: civilians are dying. People jailed right now include activists such as Mahrang Baloch and politicians such as Ali Wazir... Pakistan remains tied to the networks it helped create, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Afghan Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba and many others... This extremist ideology wasn’t natural to our region; it was manufactured in places like Rawalpindi," she added.

(ANI)

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: Calls for calm are growing as tensions continue along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The UN special rapporteur for Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, urged “calm and respect for international human rights & humanitarian law, in particular the protection of civilians.”

“Immediate de-escalation is essential,” Bennett said in a post on X.

Similar warnings have been issued earlier by UN secretary-general António Guterres.

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has vowed that Afghans will defend their country with unity and courage amid Pakistan’s recent airstrikes.

“The Pakistani aircraft once again bombed Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia. The Afghans will defend their beloved homeland with complete unity in all circumstances and will respond to aggression with courage,” Karzai wrote on X.

He added, “Pakistan cannot free itself from the violence and bombings—those problems it has created itself—but must change its own policy and choose the path of good neighborliness, respect, and civilized relations with Afghanistan.”

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: Wounded Afghan women are receiving treatment at a hospital in Jalalabad on February 27, 2026, after a Pakistani mortar shell hit a camp for returnees from Pakistan.

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud spoke with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar in a phone call to discuss “developments in the region” and “ways to reduce tensions,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement posted on X.

Dar is currently in Saudi Arabia for an official visit.

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: A new image shows Pakistani soldiers patrolling near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing in Chaman on February 27, 2026, following overnight fighting between the two countries.

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: Pakistani armed forces have “completely destroyed multiple key posts” of the Afghan Taliban, according to a report by Dawn citing state broadcaster PTV News and security sources.

The sources added that following the decisive response, Taliban fighters had “waved white flags” over their positions, signaling surrender or retreat.

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: In its weekly briefing, Pakistan’s ministry of foreign affairs highlighted a surge in attacks inside the country, linking it to the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan.

In a purported video shared by news agency PTI, the ministry said, “…Terrorist attacks in Pakistan have increased after Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, more so in last 12-18 months…”

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said the country will not compromise on its territorial integrity amid escalating tensions.

“Pakistan will not compromise on peace & territorial integrity. Our armed forces' response is comprehensive & decisive. Those who mistake our peace for weakness will face a strong response — and no one will be beyond reach,” Zardari said.

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: Afghan Taliban fighters opened fire at various locations along the Pak-Afghan border. In response, Pakistani forces launched a counter-attack that destroyed Taliban positions and forced fighters to flee, according to security sources cited by Pakistan’s Dawn.

The report added that Afghan positions across the border from the Chitral and Bajaur sectors were destroyed.

Pakistani forces reportedly responded “with full force” to what were described as incursions in the Nawagai sector of Bajaur, Tirah in Khyber, Mohmand district and the Arandu sector of Chitral.

The claims have not been independently verified.

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: As tensions rise, air capability remains one of the clearest areas of contrast between the two neighbours. The following figures are based on data from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), cited by Reuters.

According to the IISS data, Pakistan operates 465 combat aircraft and more than 260 helicopters, including attack and transport variants.

Afghanistan, by comparison, has no fighter jets. It is known to possess at least six aircraft and 23 helicopters, though the number currently in operational condition cannot be independently assessed, Reuters report added.

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: A video shared by RT India claims to show aerial footage of the recent strikes on Kabul, which Pakistan says targeted Afghan Taliban positions.

The clip, circulated on social media, appears to capture explosions from above, though the exact locations and timing of the footage have not been independently verified.

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: Amid escalating tensions, Iran has offered to help facilitate dialogue between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In a post on X, Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said, “In the blessed month of Ramadan, the month of self-restraint and strengthening solidarity in the world of Islam, it is fitting that Afghanistan and Pakistan manage and resolve their existing differences within the framework of good neighborliness and through the path of dialogue,” he wrote.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to provide any assistance in facilitating dialogue and strengthening understanding and cooperation between the two countries,” Araghchi added.

Last year, Qatar helped mediate a ceasefire between the two neighbours, an arrangement that largely held despite intermittent violations reported along the border.

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi has accused the Afghan Taliban of targeting civilians and vowed strong consequences.

In a statement posted by the interior ministry on X, Naqvi said Pakistan’s armed forces had responded befittingly to what he described as open aggression.

“The cowardly enemy struck in the darkness of night. The Afghan Taliban made a despicable attempt to target innocent civilians,” he said.

“The nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the armed forces. The Afghan Taliban made a terrible mistake by attacking. They will have to face serious consequences. We will not allow our security to be compromised,” he added.

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jets are patrolling the skies over Afghanistan’s Kandahar following airstrikes on Afghan Taliban targets, according to state media.

Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, quoting state broadcaster PTV News, said the aerial patrols began after the strikes were carried out.

The broadcaster cited security sources as saying, “The Pakistan Armed Forces are fully prepared for any aggression and possess the capability to deliver a befitting response.”

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: Islamabad’s state broadcaster, Pakistan TV, claimed multiple Taliban positions were “destroyed” in recent attacks, reported Al Jazeera.

• A Taliban brigade headquarters and an ammunition depot in Kandahar were among the targets.
• A Taliban post in the Wali Khan sector was also reported hit.
• Another post in Paktika near the Shawal sector was targeted, according to the broadcaster.
• Taliban positions in the Bajaur sector were also claimed destroyed.
• Posts in Angoor Adda were listed among the locations struck.

The claims have not been independently verified.

Pakistan-Afghanistan 'war' live updates: Video shared by news agency PTI shows several people receiving treatment in hospitals after airstrikes hit the Afghan capital, Kabul.