Pakistan Strikes Back After Afghan Taliban Fire on Kurram Border Posts

Pakistan reports a forceful response in Kurram

Pakistan says its security forces launched a wide military response after Afghan Taliban units opened fire on border posts in Kurram district, one of several tense sectors along the frontier. Officials said Afghan forces used mortars, artillery and other heavy weapons, prompting Pakistani troops to target Taliban posts, firing positions and defensive checkpoints across the border.

Security sources said Pakistani forces retained control of their positions and destroyed several Afghan Taliban sites. They also claimed that fighters abandoned a number of posts and withdrew from the area. These battlefield claims have not been independently verified, while Kabul has presented the wider escalation as a response to Pakistani attacks inside Afghanistan.

The latest exchange adds to a cycle of artillery fire, airstrikes and militant attacks that has damaged relations between the two countries since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Kurram, which sits in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, is particularly sensitive because its rugged valleys and mountain passes connect with Afghanistan’s Khost and Paktia regions.

Pakistani authorities said the border remained under their control and that troops were monitoring the area for further attacks. The response came as fighting was also reported in Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand and Bajaur.

How the latest escalation began

The current crisis followed a series of deadly attacks inside Pakistan. On February 6, a suicide bombing at the Khadija Tul Kubra mosque in Islamabad killed at least 31 worshippers and injured about 170 people. The Islamic State Khorasan Province claimed responsibility for the attack. On February 16, a vehicle packed with explosives struck a joint security post in Bajaur, killing 11 soldiers and a child. Pakistani investigators linked the attacker to Afghanistan’s Taliban security structure, while the Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility.

Another suicide attack in Bannu on February 21 killed two soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel. Islamabad said these attacks were directed by militant leaders based in Afghanistan. Kabul has repeatedly denied allowing its territory to be used for attacks against Pakistan.

Pakistan then announced airstrikes on February 22 against seven camps and hideouts in Nangarhar, Paktika and Khost. Pakistani officials said the targets belonged to the Pakistani Taliban, its allied groups and the Islamic State Khorasan Province. Early government statements put militant deaths at more than 70, with later figures rising above 80 and, in one parliamentary statement, above 100.

Afghan officials disputed the Pakistani account and said the strikes hit homes, a religious seminary and other civilian locations. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reported civilian deaths and injuries in Nangarhar, including women and children. Afghan officials vowed retaliation, setting the stage for the border attacks that followed.

Operation Ghazab lil Haq expands across the frontier

On the night of February 26, Pakistan formally announced Operation Ghazab lil Haq, a name that means Wrath for the Truth. The operation initially covered five sectors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram and Bajaur.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the operation was launched after Taliban forces fired at several locations along the border. He said Pakistani forces were acting to protect the country’s territory and its citizens. Pakistan described the operation as a combination of air and ground attacks against Taliban positions and militant hideouts.

By March 6, Tarar claimed that 527 Afghan Taliban operatives had been killed and more than 755 wounded. He also said 237 checkposts had been destroyed, 38 posts had been captured and destroyed, and 205 tanks, armored vehicles and artillery guns had been hit. Pakistani officials said 62 locations inside Afghanistan had been targeted.

Those figures came from Pakistani authorities and could not be independently confirmed. Afghanistan has issued different casualty accounts and has accused Pakistan of striking civilian areas. The lack of independent access to many border locations has made it difficult to establish the precise scale of military losses on either side.

Pakistan will take all necessary measures to ensure its territorial integrity and the safety and security of its citizens.

The statement was issued by Pakistan’s Information Ministry as fighting spread across several sectors. Pakistani officials have also said their forces are prepared to respond immediately to any further firing.

What Kabul says about the fighting

The Taliban administration says Pakistan began the latest phase of the crisis by violating Afghan territory and airspace. Afghan spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid described Kabul’s military action as retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes and said Afghan forces had launched large operations against Pakistani military positions along the Durand Line.

The Durand Line is the de facto border established in 1893 under British colonial rule. Pakistan regards it as an international boundary, while Afghanistan has historically rejected its formal recognition. The dispute has remained especially sensitive because Pashtun communities live on both sides of the frontier and maintain family, tribal and commercial connections across it.

Afghan authorities said Pakistani aircraft struck locations in Nangarhar and Paktika, including populated areas. The United Nations reported that at least 56 Afghan civilians, including 24 children and six women, had been killed after hostilities intensified in late February. It also recorded 129 injuries, including 41 children and 31 women. Later reports from United Nations officials and rights groups described additional civilian deaths linked to Pakistani strikes.

Pakistan rejects accusations that it deliberately targeted civilians and says its attacks were based on intelligence about militant camps. Afghan officials, however, maintain that the strikes caused widespread civilian harm. These competing claims have not been fully resolved through independent investigations.

Kurram remains a dangerous flashpoint

Kurram has repeatedly appeared in reports of fighting between Pakistani forces, Afghan Taliban units and armed groups operating near the frontier. The area includes difficult terrain, narrow routes and communities divided by the border. Mortar fire can travel across the line quickly, placing military posts and nearby villages at risk.

During the latest clashes, Pakistani sources said Afghan forces used heavy weapons against border positions. Pakistan responded with artillery and other weapons against Afghan posts and mortar locations. Residents in nearby areas have previously reported taking shelter during evening exchanges, while border crossings and movement routes have been closed during periods of intense fighting.

Earlier reports from the region said artillery shells landed near residential compounds without causing casualties. In South Waziristan, mortar fire from across the border injured five people in Angoor Adda village, including four children and a woman. Pakistani forces later said they destroyed gun positions involved in the firing.

The violence has also disrupted plans to return Afghan nationals from Pakistan. Families waiting near border points have been moved to holding areas when security conditions deteriorated. The two main trade crossings, Torkham and Chaman, have faced repeated closures, leaving trucks stranded and restricting travel, trade and access to medical care.

A dispute rooted in militancy and mistrust

Pakistan’s central accusation is directed at the Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan, commonly known as the TTP. The group is separate from the Afghan Taliban government, although the two share ideological and historical links. Islamabad says TTP leaders and fighters operate from safe locations in Afghanistan and plan attacks against Pakistani targets from there.

The Taliban administration denies giving the TTP permission to attack Pakistan. Kabul has instead accused Islamabad of spreading false claims and of carrying out airstrikes that violate Afghan sovereignty. The dispute has continued despite repeated diplomatic meetings.

Relations worsened after the Taliban takeover in August 2021. In 2022, Pakistani soldiers were killed in attacks launched from Afghan territory, followed by clashes near the Wesh Chaman crossing. Fighting at Torkham in 2023 led to temporary border closures. Pakistan’s campaign to deport undocumented Afghan nationals later that year added another source of friction.

Pakistan carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan in March and December 2024 after attacks on its security forces. Kabul condemned those operations. In October 2025, some of the deadliest fighting since the Taliban takeover killed dozens of people on both sides. Qatar and Türkiye helped arrange a ceasefire, while later talks in Istanbul, Doha and Riyadh failed to produce a lasting agreement.

Civilians face the greatest cost

The military claims from Islamabad and Kabul have been accompanied by a growing humanitarian crisis. The United Nations said approximately 115,000 Afghans and 3,000 people in Pakistan were displaced during one week of fighting in early March. Families fled artillery fire, mortar attacks and airstrikes, while aid deliveries were restricted in areas where roads and health facilities were unsafe.

United Nations rights chief Volker Turk called on both sides to stop fighting and protect civilians. He said the latest violence was adding to the suffering of people who had already endured decades of conflict. Rights groups have called for impartial investigations into reported attacks on civilian homes, medical facilities and other protected sites.

Human Rights Watch later cited United Nations figures showing hundreds of Afghan civilians killed or injured by cross border attacks during the first months of 2026. The group said civilian casualties do not by themselves establish a violation of the laws of war, yet they require investigations into whether the attacking force distinguished between military targets and civilian objects.

The humanitarian pressure is also linked to Pakistan’s repatriation campaign. More than two million Afghans have returned to Afghanistan since the campaign began in September 2023, while many others remain in Pakistan facing uncertain legal status and fear of arrest or deportation. Continued fighting makes their situation more difficult and limits the ability of aid agencies to reach vulnerable families.

Why diplomacy has struggled to contain the crisis

Several regional governments have urged restraint and dialogue. Qatar, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia have supported talks between Islamabad and Kabul, including negotiations after the October 2025 clashes. Those efforts have produced temporary pauses, yet they have not resolved the central dispute over militant activity, border recognition or the movement of people and goods.

Each new attack makes compromise harder. Pakistan faces public pressure to act after deadly attacks on soldiers and civilians. The Taliban government faces pressure to demonstrate that Afghanistan is not being controlled by foreign demands and will defend what it calls its sovereignty. Military statements from both sides also present the opposing force as the aggressor, leaving little room for a shared account of events.

The risk extends beyond the immediate border. Pakistan is a nuclear armed state, while Afghanistan is already facing a severe economic and humanitarian crisis. Prolonged clashes could close trade routes, trigger more displacement and give armed groups greater room to operate. A durable reduction in violence would require direct security assurances, action against militant networks and a practical mechanism for investigating future incidents.

The Bottom Line

• Pakistan says Afghan Taliban forces fired mortars and heavy weapons at posts in Kurram and other sectors.
• Pakistani forces responded with artillery and attacks on Afghan posts, mortar positions and defensive sites.
• Islamabad says Operation Ghazab lil Haq targets militant networks and Taliban positions linked to attacks in Pakistan.
• Kabul says Pakistani airstrikes violated Afghan sovereignty and caused civilian deaths.
• Casualty claims from both sides remain difficult to verify independently.
• Fighting has displaced civilians, disrupted aid and repeatedly closed major border crossings.
• The core disputes involve the TTP, the Durand Line and the absence of a lasting security agreement.