Pakistan launched airstrikes on Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, and provinces, including Kandahar and Paktia, early Friday, hours after Afghan Taliban forces conducted a large-scale cross-border offensive against Pakistani military positions. The exchanges mark a sharp escalation in hostilities along the 2,600-kilometer Durand Line border, threatening a fragile Qatar-mediated ceasefire in place since October 2025.

Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani warplanes struck areas in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia, describing the attacks as "cowardly." He reported no immediate casualties from the strikes but announced that retaliatory operations had resumed from Kandahar and Helmand provinces. Two senior Pakistani security officials, speaking anonymously, confirmed the military targeted Afghan brigade bases and other facilities in those locations.

The Afghan assault late Thursday came in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes earlier in the week on suspected militant camps in eastern Afghanistan. Pakistan said those operations on February 21-22 hit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State-Khorasan hideouts in Nangarhar, Paktika, and Khost provinces, killing over 80 militants. Afghanistan claimed the strikes killed 18 civilians, including children, and hit homes and a religious school.

Taliban forces then launched attacks on Pakistani border posts in Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram, and Bajaur sectors, claiming to have killed 55 Pakistani soldiers, captured troops, and seized 19 outposts. Pakistan reported two soldiers killed and three wounded in the clashes, while claiming its forces killed 133 Taliban fighters, wounded over 200, and destroyed 27 Afghan posts. A missile strike near the Torkham crossing also wounded 13 Afghan civilians in a refugee camp.

Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar dismissed Afghan claims of captures as propaganda, stating forces delivered a "strong and effective response." Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declared "our patience has run out," accusing Afghanistan of harboring terrorists and exporting violence despite Pakistan hosting millions of Afghan refugees. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's spokesman, Mosharraf Zaidi, emphasized that no Pakistani outposts were lost.

The clashes prompted evacuations near the border and closure of the Torkham crossing to refugees. Residents in Kabul reported explosions and anti-aircraft fire early Friday. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged both sides to protect civilians and pursue diplomacy.

Tensions stem from Pakistan's accusations that the Taliban government shelters TTP militants responsible for a surge in attacks, including a February mosque bombing in Islamabad that killed 36. The October 2025 ceasefire followed deadly clashes killing dozens, but low-level incidents persisted. As of early Friday, both sides reported ongoing operations, with the conflict entering its sixth day.