Why did Pakistan start a new war with Afghanistan? Analysis explained

A state of war has erupted between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with Islamabad bombing major cities in the neighboring country, including the capital Kabul. The question that arises is why Pakistan started a new war with Afghanistan and what are the real causes behind this dangerous escalation.

Read: Pakistan declares “open war” on Afghanistan after Taliban attacks: Night of “hell” in Kabul and other areas (Video)

Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, stated characteristically: “Our patience has reached its limits. Now it is open war between us.”

The Afghan attacks that triggered the war

The crisis began when the Taliban government launched an attack against Pakistan along the Durand Line. Afghanistan claimed that the cross-border raids were a response to deadly Pakistani airstrikes that occurred in Afghan border areas, resulting in the deaths of at least 18 people, including women and children.

Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid announced that large-scale offensive operations were launched against Pakistani military bases and installations. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense reported that the operations were conducted along the border in six provinces and lasted approximately four hours.

According to Afghan authorities, 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed, while several others were captured alive. Their own losses amounted to eight dead and eleven wounded. The ministry claimed to have destroyed 19 Pakistani military outposts and two bases. However, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar disputed these figures, reporting two dead soldiers and three wounded, while claiming that 36 Afghan fighters were killed.

Pakistan’s Operation Ghazab Lil Haq

In retaliation for Afghanistan’s cross-border attacks, Pakistan’s air force launched airstrikes codenamed “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq,” targeting major cities including Kabul. This military operation provides the answer to why Pakistan started a new war with Afghanistan with such great intensity.

In the Afghan capital, journalists heard fighter jets and multiple loud explosions, followed by gunfire, for more than two hours. Similarly, in the southern city of Kandahar, where Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada is based, fighter jets were heard in the sky.

Pakistan’s state television network, PTV, reported that the country’s military forces targeted key Taliban military installations in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia. In these raids, two brigade headquarters were destroyed in Kabul, while one corps headquarters and one brigade headquarters were destroyed in Kandahar. Additionally, an ammunition depot and a supply base were destroyed in Kandahar, and a corps headquarters in Paktia.

Casualties and conflicting claims

The Taliban government confirmed the Pakistani airstrikes, with its spokesperson stating that “the cowardly Pakistani army carried out airstrikes in certain areas of Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia,” adding that no casualties were reported. This contrasts with claims by Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who reported that 133 Afghan Taliban members were killed and more than 200 others wounded.

In his post, Naqvi wrote: “The cowardly enemy struck in the darkness of night. The Afghan Taliban made a despicable attempt to target innocent civilians. The nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the armed forces. The Afghan Taliban made a terrible mistake by attacking. They must face serious consequences.”

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari stated that the country will not compromise on peace and territorial integrity. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also praised the country’s military, saying that his forces are “fully capable of thwarting any aggressive intentions.”

Months of violence and escalating tensions

The violence that erupted follows months of tensions between the two nations. Last October, deadly clashes broke out between the two sides, in which dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants were killed. A Qatar-mediated ceasefire has largely held, but the two sides continue to occasionally exchange fire across the border.

Several rounds of peace talks in November failed to lead to a formal agreement. To understand why Pakistan started a new war with Afghanistan, we must examine the security issue at the heart of the conflict.

The issue of the Pakistani Taliban

At the center of the issue is security, with Pakistan accusing Afghanistan of harboring armed groups led by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) on its territory. The TTP emerged in 2007 and are distinct from the Taliban in Afghanistan, but share deep ideological, social and linguistic ties with the group.

For Pakistan, the TTP poses a serious security issue. In 2025, they committed more than 1,000 violent incidents across Pakistan. Islamabad has accused the Taliban government in Afghanistan of not doing enough to contain the TTP.

As Pearl Pandya, senior analyst for South Asia at the US-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, stated: “The Afghan Taliban appear reluctant to seriously crack down on the TTP, partly due to previous kinship between the two groups, but also from fear that TTP fighters might defect to their main rival, the Islamic State Khorasan Province.”

However, the Afghan Taliban deny that they protect the TTP. This disagreement largely explains why Pakistan started a new war with Afghanistan, as the terrorism issue remains unresolved and continues to fuel hostility between the two neighboring countries.