Pakistan is in 'open war' with Afghanistan after latest strikes, defense minister says

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged cross-border attacks overnight in a dramatic escalation of tensions that led Pakistan’s defense minister to say on Friday that the two countries are in a state of “open war.”

Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack on Pakistan late Thursday, saying it was in retaliation for deadly Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas Sunday. Pakistan then carried out airstrikes in Kabul and two other Afghan provinces early Friday, saying it targeted military installations.

“We have targeted important military targets in Pakistan, sending a message that our hands can reach their throats and that we will respond to every evil act of Pakistan,” Afghan government spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in televised comments from Kandahar Friday. “Pakistan has never sought to resolve problems through dialogue.”

After the Afghan strikes, Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said in a post on X: “Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us.”

Asif said Pakistan had hoped for peace in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO forces in 2021 and expected the Taliban, which seized power in the country, to focus on the welfare of the Afghan people and regional stability.

Instead, he said the Taliban had turned Afghanistan “into a colony of India,” with which Pakistan has periodically engaged in wars, clashes and skirmishes since gaining independence from British colonial rule in 1947. India's ties with Afghanistan have improved recently, with offers of enhanced bilateral trade, to the annoyance of Islamabad.

Tensions have been high for months, with border clashes in October killing dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of harboring militant groups that then stage attacks across the border and also of allying with its archrival India.

A Qatari-mediated ceasefire ended the fighting, although the two sides still occasionally trade fire. Several rounds of peace talks in Istanbul in November failed to produce a lasting agreement.

Afghan authorities in the eastern Nangarhar province said fighting was ongoing in the Torkham border area Friday morning. The province's information directorate said Pakistani mortar fire hit civilian areas in Torkham, including a refugee camp which had been evacuated overnight. In response, Afghanistan was targeting Pakistani army posts across the border, it said.

Asif accused Afghanistan of “exporting terrorism.” Islamabad frequently levies the allegation at its western neighbor as militant violence has surged in Pakistan, accusing Afghanistan of supporting the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, and outlawed Baloch separatist groups.

Pakistan accuses the TTP — which is separate from but closely allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban — of operating from inside Afghanistan. Both the group and Kabul deny that charge.

“Pakistan’s internal conflict is a purely domestic issue and is not a new one,” Mujahid said Friday, noting the TTP had been active for nearly two decades.

Pakistan has also frequently accused neighboring India of backing the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army and the Pakistani Taliban, allegations New Delhi denies.

Afghanistan said Thursday's cross-border attack was in retaliation for deadly Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas Sunday.

The governments have issued sharply differing casualty claims.

Pakistan's army spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistani air and ground operations killed at least 274 members of Afghan forces and affiliated militants and wounded more than 400, while 12 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 27 others were wounded. One Pakistani soldier was missing in action.

Mujahid rejected the claims of the high number of Afghan casualties as “false.” He said 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed with the bodies of 23 of them taken to Afghanistan. He also said “many” Pakistani soldiers were captured. Thirteen Afghan soldiers had been killed, he said, and another 22 wounded, while 13 civilians were also wounded. A religious school in Paktika province was bombed on Friday morning, he added, saying information on potential casualties there was not yet available.

The casualty claims of either side could not be independently verified.

Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistan’s anti-drone systems shot down several small drones over the northwestern cities of Abbottabad, Swabi, and Nowshera Friday. He said the drones appeared to be part of a failed attack by the Pakistani Taliban, and there were no casualties. Tarar claimed the drone attacks “once again exposed direct linkages between the Afghan Taliban regime and terrorism in Pakistan.”

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held separate phone calls with his Pakistani, Afghan, Qatari and Saudi counterparts on Friday to discuss the conflict, a Turkish official said, without providing details on the talks. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government policy.

In October, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia had facilitated talks between the sides.

On Friday, Mujahid, the Afghan government spokesman, said his country had “always emphasized a peaceful solution, and we still want to resolve the problem through dialogue.”

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres urged both sides to protect civilians as required under international law and “to continue to seek to resolve any differences through diplomacy,” U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Russia called for an immediate halt to the fighting and for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, Russian diplomat Zamir Kabulov told news agency RIA Novosti. Kabulov, who is President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for Afghanistan, said that Moscow would consider mediating between the two countries if asked, according to RIA Novosti.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged Pakistan and Afghanistan to resolve their differences through dialogue during the holy month of Ramadan. He also said that Tehran was ready to assist in facilitating dialogue.

Pakistani authorities said that dozens of Afghan refugees in the Torkham border area had been relocated to safer places.

Pakistan launched a sweeping crackdown in October 2023 to expel migrants without documents, urging those in the country to leave of their own accord to avoid arrest and forcibly expelling others. Iran also began a crackdown on migrants at around the same time.

Since then, millions have crossed the border into Afghanistan, including people who were born in Pakistan decades ago and had built lives and created businesses there.

In 2025, 2.9 million people returned to Afghanistan, the U.N. refugee agency has said, with nearly 80,000 having returned so far this year.

Abdul Qahar Afghan reported from Kabul, Afghanistan. Associated Press writers Riaz Khan and Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan, Eduardo Castillo in Beijing, Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece, and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, also contributed to this story.

People read morning newspapers covering headline story about overnight cross border fighting between Pakistan and Afghan forces, at a stall in Peshawar, Pakistan, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

Smoke rises after an explosion at a border post on the Afghan side of the Ghulam Khan crossing with Pakistan in Khost province, Afghanistan, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Saifullah Zahir)

Taliban fighters look up while manning an armed pickup truck at the Afghan side of the Ghulam Khan crossing with Pakistan in Khost province, Afghanistan, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Saifullah Zahir)

A man, who was injured in the overnight cross border fighting between Pakistan and Afghan forces, receives treatment at a hospital in Khar, in Bajaur, a district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering with Afghanistan, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Anwarullah Khan)

A villager looks at damaged solar plates and a portion following overnight cross border fighting between Pakistan and Afghan forces, at a village in Bajaur, a district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering with Afghanistan, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo)

Afghan Taliban soldiers gather on the Afghan side of the Torkham border crossing with Pakistan in Torkham, Afghanistan, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Wahidullah Kakar)

Afghan Taliban soldiers walk along the main road on the Afghan side of the Torkham border crossing with Pakistan in Torkham, Afghanistan, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Wahidullah Kakar)

Afghan Taliban soldiers look toward the Pakistani side, with one peering through the sight of his rifle, on the Afghan side of the Torkham border crossing with Pakistan in Torkham, Afghanistan, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Wahidullah Kakar)

An Afghan Taliban soldier gives instructions to drivers on the Afghan side of the Torkham border crossing with Pakistan in Torkham, Afghanistan, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Wahidullah Kakar)

Afghan Taliban soldiers stand on the Afghan side of the Torkham border crossing with Pakistan in Torkham, Afghanistan, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Wahidullah Kakar)

OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 27, 2026--

MidFirst Bank presented a $25,000 check to Infant Crisis Services in support of their annual Boots & Ball Gowns fundraising event. The contribution underscores MidFirst Bank’s continued commitment to strengthening the communities it serves and supporting organizations that provide essential care to Oklahoma’s most vulnerable families.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260227356734/en/

Boots & Ball Gowns is Infant Crisis Services’ largest annual fundraiser, raising critical funds to support its mission that no baby goes hungry. Proceeds from the event help feed and diaper babies and toddlers in 31 counties in Oklahoma.

“Supporting children and families during their most critical moments aligns closely with MidFirst Bank’s values to play an active, positive role in the communities where we operate,” said Todd Dobson, CEO of MidFirst Bank. “Infant Crisis Services plays a vital role in our Oklahoma community, and we are honored to support Boots & Ball Gowns and the meaningful impact this organization delivers every day.”

Supporting Oklahoma’s Children

Infant Crisis Services provides life-sustaining essentials to all children younger than four during times of crisis, serving as a lifeline for 25,000 babies annually. MidFirst Bank’s donation will help expand access to these essential services and ensure families continue to receive timely support when they need it most.

“Infant Crisis Services has flourished due to support from MidFirst Bank,” said Miki Farris, Infant Crisis Services co-founder and executive director. “MidFirst Bank volunteers have made a positive impact on the well-being of more than two thousand babies and toddlers in the past two years. MidFirst has sponsored many of our events, which helps to build awareness of our services and raise funds to feed and diaper as many little ones as we can. Their generosity has truly been a blessing.”

Community Commitment

MidFirst Bank has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to the greater Oklahoma City community through philanthropy, volunteerism and partnerships with nonprofit organizations focused on education and family support, health and research, arts and culture, environmental stewardship, economic development and civic leadership. MidFirst Bank has partnered with Infant Crisis Services for more than 18 years through sponsorships and employee volunteer events. Since 2024, MidFirst’s employees have volunteered over 240 hours, helping to keep nearly 2,700 babies and toddlers diapered and fed for a week. Supporting organizations like Infant Crisis Services further their mission of giving back to the communities it serves.

About MidFirst Bank:

With over $41.4 billion in assets, Oklahoma City-based MidFirst Bank is the largest privately owned bank in the nation and provides commercial lending, wealth management, private banking and mortgage servicing nationally. MidFirst Bank has locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah. MidFirst Bank serves California through 1st Century Bank, a division of MidFirst Bank. For more information on MidFirst Bank and its charitable works, visit midfirst.com.

About Infant Crisis Services

Infant Crisis Services, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, provides life-sustaining food, formula, and diapers to babies and toddlers in times of crisis because no baby should go hungry. Founded in 1984, Infant Crisis Services is the only formula and diaper bank of its kind in the metro-area, serving more than 25,000 babies and toddlers in Oklahoma each year. Its unique BabyMobile ® program expands the mission into 31 counties across the state. In the organization’s 41 years of service, over 410,000 little ones have received essential items for their development, with the help of the community.

Image of MidFirst Bank volunteers at Infant Crisis Services

Image of Miki Farris and Todd Dobson shaking hands

Check presentation with (from left to right) Miki Farris (Executive Director of Infant Crisis Services), Carrie Yowell (Director of Charitable Giving, MidFirst Bank) and Todd Dobson (CEO of MidFirst Bank)