Pakistan says it has killed hundreds of fighters in Afghanistan after declaring “open war” on the Taliban. On Friday, Pakistan launched air strikes on Kabul and two other Afghan provinces, which it said targeted ammunition depots, Taliban military installations and militant hideouts.

The current fighting marks the latest episode of escalation between the two Muslim states after weeks of escalating tensions and is their most significant conflict since 2021.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are fighting again, trading deadly shelling and mortar fire across their rugged border, with Pakistan’s defense minister saying his country’s patience had “run out” and declaring “open war” on its Taliban-run neighbor.

Latest confrontation marks one of the most serious flare-ups in recent months between neighboring countries - Anadolu Ajansı

Pakistan’s long-standing strategy of using militant proxies and political manipulation in Afghanistan has unravelled. Under Asim Munir’s watch, coercion appears to have replaced diplomacy.

Yet once the Taliban captured Kabul in August 2021 and declared the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the dynamic shifted. An insurgent movement dependent on a sanctuary became a sovereign authority determined to assert autonomy. Allies became uneasy neighbours.