Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declared Friday that his country is in "open war" with Afghanistan, hours after Pakistani airstrikes targeted Taliban positions in Kabul, Kandahar, and other provinces.

The declaration followed a Taliban offensive late Thursday against Pakistani military posts in border areas, including Nangarhar, Nuristan, Kunar, Khost, Paktia, and Paktika provinces. Taliban forces claimed they captured 19 posts and killed 55 Pakistani soldiers, while Pakistan reported 12 soldiers killed, 27 wounded, and one missing.

Pakistan responded early Friday with airstrikes on 22 military targets, including an arms depot and installations in Kabul, Laghman, Khost, and Paktika. Army spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said the strikes killed 274 Taliban fighters and wounded more than 400, destroying 73 posts, capturing 18 and eliminating over 115 vehicles and artillery pieces. Asif accused the Taliban of "exporting terrorism" by harboring groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and turning Afghanistan into an Indian "colony."

Afghanistan rejected the claims, with spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid reporting 13 soldiers killed, 22 wounded and 19 to 37 civilians dead, including women and children in strikes on residential areas and a religious school in Paktika. The Taliban said its attacks were retaliation for Pakistan's earlier February 21 airstrikes on militant camps in Nangarhar, Paktika and Khost, which killed at least 18 civilians according to UNAMA.

The clashes mark a breakdown of a fragile October 2025 ceasefire mediated by Qatar and Turkey after deadly border fighting. Pakistan has long accused the Taliban of sheltering TTP militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan, including a recent mosque bombing in Islamabad that killed 36. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistani forces had the "full capability to crush" aggression, with no compromise on defense.

Both sides reported further actions overnight into Saturday, including Taliban drone strikes on Pakistani sites in Nowshera, Abbottabad and Swabi, which Pakistan downed, and unverified claims of a downed Pakistani jet. As of early Saturday, Pakistan updated its toll to 331 Taliban killed and over 500 injured, while declaring emergencies in border districts.

International calls for de-escalation mounted. The UN expressed concern over civilian and humanitarian impacts, Iran offered mediation during Ramadan, and the UK, EU, China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar urged dialogue. Taliban leaders indicated openness to negotiations. The conflict remained ongoing along the disputed Durand Line border.