While international attention remains focused on the Middle East following US and Israeli attacks on Iran and the regional escalation that has ignited the Gulf, another war continues to intensify in Central Asia. On the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, bombings and armed clashes continue daily, leaving casualties, displaced persons, and a permanent tension between two historically opposed neighbors.
This Friday, in the latest episode of a military escalation that has been ongoing since late February, Pakistan also launched new airstrikes on Kabul, as reported by Taliban authorities. The police in the Afghan capital reported that at least four people were killed and 15 were injured when several bombs hit civilian homes in the eastern part of the city.
"Specific targets linked to the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) were hit," a Pakistani official later told AFP, referring to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, the insurgent group that has been waging a war against Islamabad for years, accusing the Taliban of protecting these terrorists. Afghan spokespeople offered a very different version. "Continuing their aggression, the Pakistani military regime has once again bombed Kabul, Kandahar, and several border provinces," wrote Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. According to this side, among the victims are "women and children."
In Kandahar, the southern city where the Taliban supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, is based, several projectiles hit the fuel depot of the airline Kam Air, located near the airport. According to the Afghan government, the facilities supply civilian aircraft and also UN flights.
The conflict between the two countries, historically marked by a border known as the Durand Line, reignited in October 2025, when a series of clashes left dozens dead and almost completely closed land crossings. After several attempts at regional mediation, a fragile truce was signed, which held until February 26, when Afghan forces launched an offensive on the border in response to Pakistani airstrikes that Islamabad claimed were directed at TTP positions. At that time, Pakistani authorities even spoke of an "open war."
In all these weeks, bombings, skirmishes, and artillery exchanges have multiplied in the border provinces. Between Tuesday and Thursday of this week, at least seven people, including several children, reportedly died in Pakistani attacks in eastern and southeastern Afghanistan.
According to a count by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), at least 56 Afghan civilians, including 24 children, have died since the military escalation intensified at the end of last month. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that over 115,000 people have been displaced within Afghanistan due to the fighting.
A key point in the humanitarian crisis is the Torkham crossing, located in the Afghan province of Nangarhar and connecting with the Pakistani district of Khyber, which is vital for trade and human transit. In the recent clashes, it has become a scene of massive evacuations on both sides of the border. Afghans waiting to cross into Pakistan have been moved to safe areas, while Pakistani residents in nearby villages were evacuated due to the threat of mortars and crossfire.
The Durand Line, demarcated by British colonialism, is a border of 2,577 kilometers that cuts through mountains and Pashtun tribal territories, the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and the source of the majority of the Taliban. For Islamabad, it is a legitimate international boundary, but Kabul has never formally recognized it as a border.
During the 1990s and the early 2000s, Pakistan became one of the main supporters of the Taliban, providing training and logistical support in exchange for influence over Kabul and indirect control of the border. However, when the Taliban returned to power in 2021, the border became more unpredictable, marked by the emergence of armed terrorist groups linked to the Islamic State like TTP, responsible for many of the bloodiest attacks in Pakistan.