Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Kabul and two other Afghan provinces
Afghanistan retaliated with cross-border attacks after Pakistani strikes
Both sides reported widely differing casualty figures
A Qatar-mediated ceasefire appears increasingly shaky
Tensions have been high between the two neighbors for months
📖 Full Retelling
Pakistan's military carried out airstrikes targeting multiple locations in Afghanistan including the capital Kabul early Friday, February 26, 2026, escalating tensions hours after Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack in retaliation for previous Pakistani strikes, threatening a fragile Qatar-mediated ceasefire between the neighboring countries. Afghanistan's government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed explosions in Kabul and strikes in Kandahar and Paktia provinces, while Pakistani security officials claimed to have destroyed two Afghan brigade bases but provided no casualty information. The conflicting reports highlighted the deepening crisis between the two nations that share the contentious 2,611-kilometer Durand Line border, which Afghanistan has never formally recognized. The Afghan Defense Ministry claimed its retaliatory attack killed 55 Pakistani soldiers and destroyed 19 military posts, while Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar reported only two Pakistani soldiers killed and 36 Afghan fighters eliminated, with additional figures provided by a spokesperson for Pakistan's Prime Minister showing even higher Afghan casualties. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged both sides to protect civilians and resolve differences through diplomacy as the violence threatened to unravel months of tense relations that had seen occasional border clashes despite the ceasefire agreement.
International border between Afghanistan and Pakistan
The Afghanistan–Pakistan border, commonly known as the Durand Line, is a 2,640-kilometre (1,640 mi) international border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. India also claims a land border with Afghanistan, on the eastern end of the Durand Line, between Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor and Gilgit, admini...
Civilians killed, injured, or imprisoned by non-civilians
A civilian casualty occurs when a civilian is killed or injured by non-civilians, mostly law enforcement officers, military personnel, rebel group forces, or terrorists. Under the law of war, it refers to civilians who perish or suffer wounds as a result of wartime acts. The term is generally applie...
World Airstrikes hit Afghan capital of Kabul, hours after Afghanistan attacks Pakistan February 26, 2026 9:07 PM ET By The Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan — Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Kabul and two other Afghan provinces early Friday, Afghanistan's government spokesperson said, hours after Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack on Pakistan in the latest escalation of violence between the neighboring countries that made a Qatar-mediated ceasefire appear increasingly shaky. At least three explosions were heard in Kabul, but there was no immediate information on the exact location of the strikes in the Afghan capital, or of any potential casualties. Government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistan also carried out airstrikes in Kandahar to the south and in the southeastern province of Paktia. World Pakistan-Afghanistan border closures paralyze trade along a key route Two senior Pakistani security officials told The Associated Press that Pakistan's military carried out airstrikes targeting what they described as Afghan military facilities in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia provinces, allegedly destroying two brigade bases, but they didn't mention any potential casualties. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to media on the record. Afghanistan said its military launched its attack across the border into Pakistan late Thursday in retaliation for deadly Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas Sunday, and claimed to have captured more than a dozen Pakistani army posts. Pakistan's government, which had described last Sunday's airstrikes as an attack on militants harbored in the area, described Thursday's Afghan attack as unprovoked, and dismissed claims that army posts had been captured. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to media on the record. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres urges both sides to protect civilians as required under internation...
