The long-simmering tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have descended into a state of "open war" following a series of unprecedented Afghan aerial strikes on strategic Pakistani military installations. 

On Tuesday (3-Mar-2026), the Afghan Ministry of National Defence confirmed that its air force deployed drone aircraft to target high-priority facilities, including the Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi and the 12th Corps headquarters in Quetta.

These strikes represent a significant escalation, marking the first time Afghan forces have projected power so deep into the Pakistani interior, specifically targeting the nerve centres of its military establishment.

What alarms Pakistan is that anyone can freely penetrate its airspace and strike critical military bases deep inside the country at will. India demonstrated this during Operation Sindoor, and now Afghan forces are conducting strikes with utter disdain. This represents a complete failure of Pakistan's air defence systems.

According to official statements from Kabul, these operations were conducted in direct retaliation for a massive Pakistani aerial offensive dubbed "Operation Ghazab lil Haq." The Pakistani Air Force had previously carried out sorties against Kabul, Bagram, and Kandahar, asserting that they had neutralised over 270 Taliban fighters.

However, the Taliban government spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, contested these figures, claiming instead that Afghan retaliatory fire had resulted in the deaths of 55 Pakistani soldiers and the destruction of several "important military objectives" across the border.

The conflict has also seen conflicting reports regarding aerial losses. Afghan military officials in Jalalabad claim to have successfully downed a Pakistani fighter jet, purportedly capturing the pilot alive after the aircraft was intercepted over the sixth district of the city.

While the Afghan Ministry of Defence has shared footage of kamikaze drones and images of damaged Pakistani hangars to substantiate their successes, the Pakistani military leadership has dismissed the claim of the downed jet as "totally untrue," describing it as part of a sophisticated disinformation campaign.

Political rhetoric has sharpened alongside the military exchanges, with Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, accusing the Taliban of acting as a "proxy for India." He claimed that despite exhaustive diplomatic efforts to normalise the border situation, the Afghan leadership chose a path of aggression. 

Kabul has historically refused to formally recognise the 2,611km-long Durand Line, and the recent fighting around the Mohmand Agency and Paktia suggests that the disputed border has now become an active and porous front in a wider regional conflagration.

The humanitarian and geopolitical implications of this "tit-for-tat" warfare are immense. Security experts suggest that Pakistan's long-term strategy of managing the Taliban has fundamentally failed, leading to a breakdown in bilateral trust that now threatens the stability of the entire South Asian corridor.

As both nations continue to exchange fire and move heavy assets toward the frontier, the international community has expressed growing alarm over the potential for a protracted conflict that could further embolden extremist groups operating within the mountainous border regions.

Agencies