Why Did Pakistan Strike Afghanistan? A Look At The History Of The Islamabad-Kabul Conflict

Last Updated:March 17, 2026, 10:14 IST

The relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been shaped by a mix of border disputes, strategic mistrust, and militant spillovers dating back to the mid-20th century.

Pakistan on Monday carried out a massive airstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul. The Taliban government in Afghanistan has said that the attack killed around 400 people and wounded another 250. Afghan officials described the facility as a civilian medical centre where drug users were being treated, and said the bombardment caused widespread destruction and loss of life, including among patients and staff.

Pakistan’s military, however, rejected the allegation that it targeted a hospital, insisting that its strikes were aimed at militant infrastructure and camps linked to armed groups such as the Tehrik‑i‑Taliban Pakistan and other extremist elements allegedly operating from Afghan territory, in a bid to respond to cross-border attacks on its own soil.

This latest airstrike marks a significant escalation in the long-standing tensions between the two neighbours, which have seen cross-border shelling, retaliatory air operations, and mutual accusations over militant sanctuaries since the conflict intensified in late 2025.

Historically, Pakistan has justified such strikes by claiming that Afghan-based insurgents use safe havens to plan and launch deadly attacks inside Pakistan, while Kabul has repeatedly condemned these incursions as violations of sovereignty and international law. The collapse of a previous ceasefire and the breakdown of diplomatic mediation efforts have left the situation highly volatile, raising concerns among international observers about civilian safety and the prospects for renewed hostilities along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Here’s looking at why Pakistan has been carrying out airstrikes in Afghanistan and what is the history of tensions between the two nations.

Why Pakistan Carried Out Airstrikes in Afghanistan

Pakistan has said its airstrikes were military operations aimed at militant targets inside Afghanistan, not attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Targeting Militant Infrastructure

Pakistan has maintained that the air operations were aimed at armed militant networks operating from Afghan territory, not civilian facilities. Officials say intelligence inputs identified training camps, logistics hubs, and hideouts allegedly used by anti-Pakistan fighters. Islamabad argues that these locations were part of a cross-border militant ecosystem that enables planning, recruitment, and movement of fighters into Pakistani territory.

Focus on Anti-Pakistan Armed Groups

A central element of Pakistan’s justification is its long-standing accusation that the Afghan Taliban administration has failed to act against groups hostile to Pakistan. In particular, Islamabad blames the Tehrik‑i‑Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for a surge in bombings and security force casualties inside Pakistan. The TTP, though separate from the Afghan Taliban, is believed by Pakistani authorities to operate from sanctuaries across the border. Pakistan also points to the presence of the regional Islamic State affiliate, Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), saying its fighters exploit ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan to stage and support attacks.

Self-Defence and Retaliation Doctrine

Pakistani officials frame the strikes as an act of self-defence under counter-terror policy, arguing that repeated militant attacks left them with limited options. The government’s position is that when cross-border threats persist despite diplomatic engagement, targeted military action becomes necessary to deter future attacks. In this framing, the strikes are presented not as acts of aggression but as pre-emptive and retaliatory measures intended to degrade militant capacity and signal resolve.

Cross-Border Security Pressure

Islamabad also argues that instability in Afghanistan directly affects security in Pakistan, especially along the porous frontier where militant movement is difficult to police. Pakistani authorities say that without action against entrenched armed groups across the border, violence inside Pakistan would continue to escalate. The airstrikes, therefore, are portrayed as part of a broader strategy to impose costs on groups that Islamabad believes are shielded from accountability.

The History Of Pakistan-Afghanistan Conflict

The relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been shaped by a mix of border disputes, strategic mistrust, and militant spillovers dating back to the mid-20th century. When Pakistan emerged as an independent state in 1947, Afghanistan became the only country to oppose its entry into the United Nations, largely because Kabul rejected the legitimacy of the colonial-era Durand Line as the international border. Afghan leaders argued that Pashtun populations living on the Pakistani side should have had the option of independence or merger with Afghanistan.

This disagreement hardened political attitudes early on and laid the foundation for decades of suspicion, with both sides accusing the other of interference in internal affairs.

Tensions deepened during the Cold War and the Afghan wars that followed. Pakistan became a frontline state after the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, backing anti-Soviet fighters with Western and Gulf support. In the 1990s, Islamabad was one of the few governments to recognise the first Taliban regime, seeking strategic depth and regional influence. However, after the US-led intervention in 2001, relations grew more complicated. Militancy spilled across the porous border, and Pakistan accused Kabul of allowing anti-Pakistan insurgents to operate from Afghan territory, while Afghan governments alleged that Pakistani soil sheltered Taliban leadership networks. Mutual distrust intensified as cross-border attacks, refugee pressures, and competing security priorities repeatedly derailed diplomatic engagement.

The Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in 2021 did not ease friction as many had expected. Instead, border clashes, fencing disputes, and the resurgence of the TTP sharpened hostilities. Islamabad says the TTP uses Afghan territory to stage attacks inside Pakistan, a charge Taliban authorities deny. Periodic airstrikes, artillery exchanges, and accusations of harbouring militants have since kept relations volatile, turning the frontier into one of South Asia’s most sensitive security flashpoints.

The Recent Flashpoints

The latest round of clashes intensified in February 2026 after Pakistani and Afghan forces exchanged fire along the border, with Afghan forces reporting attacks inside Pakistan and Islamabad responding with air raids on eastern Afghan provinces like Nangarhar and Paktika. This marked a sharp escalation following months of simmering tensions.

February 26–28: Pakistan’s leadership publicly declared what it termed an “open war" against the Afghan Taliban regime after cross-border exchanges grew deadlier. Pakistan said it struck military targets in Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia and other areas. Afghanistan, in turn, accused Pakistan of violating its airspace and threatened retaliation.

Early March: Fighting continued with air and artillery exchanges. UN observers reported significant civilian harm from indirect fire and airstrikes in several Afghan provinces, and tens of thousands of people were displaced due to the ongoing clashes.

March 16–17, 2026: The conflict reached one of its most dramatic peaks when an airstrike hit a large hospital in Kabul, according to Afghan officials — a strike they said caused hundreds of deaths. Pakistan rejected the accusation but acknowledged continuing operations focused on militant targets.

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