As of March 5, 2026, Pakistan and Afghanistan remain locked in what Islamabad has declared an “open war” — with airstrikes hitting Kabul and nearly 66,000 Afghans displaced in one week of fighting — the roots of this crisis trace back to a pattern of militant violence that has been escalating for years. On Dec. 23, 2025, a coordinated bombing and gunfire attack in the Karak district killed five Pakistani police officers and eight militants, an early signal of what was to come.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an Islamist militant organization also known as the Pakistani Taliban, has been in armed conflict with the Pakistani government for nearly two decades and was suspected of carrying out the attack.
As reported by provincial police, assailants initially struck the vehicle with homemade explosives, followed by gunfire. This resulted in the death of four officers and the driver. Following the incident, security forces killed eight militants involved in the attack.
“Police have always played a frontline role in the war against terrorism,” said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, condemning the attack.
The attack took place in the Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a region with relatively few militant incidents. It came at a time of deteriorating relations between Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan, with serious border clashes between the two countries. Islamabad claimed that the recent surge in violent incidents in Pakistan is due to militants using Afghan territory for coordinating attacks on its security forces. However, Kabul rejected these accusations, insisting that Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter.
District police spokesman Shaukat Khan stated that the eight militants were killed during a search operation launched after the attack, according to the local Dawn newspaper. In response, a large contingent of security forces was dispatched to the area to pursue the terrorists.
This attack marked a continuation of the sharp rise in militant violence throughout 2024 and into 2026. There has been a significant increase in attacks targeting security forces, particularly in the northwestern regions bordering Afghanistan. In 2025, several incidents resulted in numerous casualties among police and military personnel, with attacks ranging from roadside bombings to coordinated assaults on security installations.
The Pakistani Taliban ramped up operations since the cessation of a fragile ceasefire with Islamabad in late 2022. Despite sharing ideological ties, the group maintains organizational independence from Afghanistan’s Taliban government. They have exploited the porous border region to launch attacks against Pakistani targets. Intelligence officials estimate thousands of TTP fighters operate from sanctuaries in Afghanistan, though the exact numbers remain disputed.
The conflict between the TTP and Pakistani security forces dates back to 2007, when various militant factions formed the umbrella organization in response to Pakistan’s military operations in tribal areas, following the events of September 11, 2001, and the country’s alliance with the United States in the war on terrorism. Over nearly two decades, the insurgency has led to the loss of tens of thousands of lives, including civilians, security personnel, and militants.
Pakistan has launched several major military operations against the TTP, notably Operation Zarb-e-Azb in 2014, which temporarily weakened the group’s capabilities, forcing many fighters across the border into Afghanistan. However, the return to power of the Taliban in Kabul in 2021 fundamentally changed the situation, providing the TTP with renewed safe havens and operational space.
The strained relationship between Islamabad and Kabul has complicated counterterrorism efforts. Pakistan has repeatedly demanded that Afghanistan’s Taliban government take action against TTP sanctuaries, while Afghan officials argue they cannot be held responsible for Pakistan’s internal security situation. Tensions at the border have occasionally escalated into military confrontations, with both sides trading artillery fire and accusations.
In February 2026, a series of devastating TTP attacks struck Pakistan in rapid succession — including a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Islamabad on Feb. 6 that killed at least 36 worshippers, a vehicle-borne suicide attack on a checkpoint in Bajaur on Feb. 16 that killed 11 soldiers and a child, and another suicide bombing in Bannu days later. On Feb. 26, nearly 20 police personnel and civilians were killed in a wave of militant attacks across northwest Pakistan over just 48 hours, with most incidents claimed by the TTP.
On Feb. 19, Pakistan issued a formal démarche to the Afghan ambassador, signaling that diplomatic patience was nearly exhausted. Defense Minister Khawaja Asif had already warned on Feb. 11 that Pakistan would strike Afghanistan before Ramadan if the Taliban failed to act against militants on its soil.
Pakistan’s patience finally broke on the night of Feb. 21, when the Pakistani Air Force conducted strikes targeting seven TTP and ISIS-K camps in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar and Paktika provinces — the seventh time Pakistan has struck Afghan territory since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. On Feb. 26, Afghanistan launched a retaliatory cross-border operation, prompting Pakistan to launch “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq” — meaning “Righteous Fury” — striking Taliban military installations across Afghanistan.
What began as cross-border militant raids has escalated into a declared interstate war. On Feb. 27, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif announced the country was in “open war” with Afghanistan after Pakistani forces struck targets in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia. By March 1, Pakistan reported hitting 46 locations across Afghanistan, including Bagram Airfield. Afghanistan struck back, claiming drone and air operations against Pakistani military bases in Rawalpindi and Quetta. The UN recorded at least 56 civilian deaths, 129 injuries, and roughly 66,000 people displaced across ten Afghan provinces between Feb. 26 and March 3. International observers warn that with no de-escalation in sight, militant groups like the TTP stand to gain most from the chaos.
