ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s defense minister said his country has run out of “patience” and considers there to be an “open war” with Afghanistan after both countries launched strikes following an Afghan cross-border attack.
In a post on X, Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said Pakistan had hoped for peace in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO forces and expected the Taliban to focus on the welfare of Afghans and regional stability. He alleged the Taliban had instead turned Afghanistan “into a colony of India,” gathered militants from around the world and begun “exporting terrorism.”
“Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us,” he wrote. There has been no public reaction from Afghan government officials to Asif’s comments.
The latest escalation makes a Qatar-mediated ceasefire appear increasingly shaky; Asif did not mention the ceasefire in his post. He also accused the Taliban government of denying Afghans basic human rights, including rights for women that he said are guaranteed under Islam, without providing further detail.
Asif said Pakistan had tried to maintain stability both directly and through friendly countries. “Today, when attempts were made to target Pakistan with aggression, by the grace of God, our armed forces are giving a decisive response,” he added.
Afghanistan on Thursday launched a cross-border attack on Pakistan in retaliation for deadly Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas the previous Sunday. Early Friday, Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Kabul and two other Afghan provinces. At least three explosions were heard in Kabul, though there was no immediate information on the exact locations of the strikes in the capital or on any casualties.
Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistan also carried out airstrikes in Kandahar in the south and in the southeastern province of Paktia.
Asif noted Pakistan had played a positive role over the past five decades by hosting about 5 million Afghan refugees and said millions of Afghans still earn their livelihoods in Pakistan. In October 2023, Pakistan launched a sweeping crackdown to expel migrants without documents, urging those in the country to leave voluntarily to avoid arrest and forcible deportation and forcibly expelling others; Iran began a similar crackdown around the same time.
Since the crackdown, millions have crossed the border into Afghanistan, including people born in Pakistan decades ago who had built lives and businesses there. Last year, 2.9 million people returned to Afghanistan, the U.N. refugee agency said, with nearly 80,000 having returned so far this year.
