Trending Now - Intense Pakistan-afghanistan Border Conflict Leaves Dozens Dead

WHO:

Pakistani and Afghan forces

Taliban-run government in Afghanistan

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid

Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif

U.N. mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)

U.S. President Donald Trump

WHAT:

Ongoing cross-border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, described as “open war”

Each side claims to have killed dozens of enemy troops

Pakistan’s military claims to have killed 527 Afghan soldiers

Afghanistan claims to have killed 150 Pakistani soldiers and lost 28 troops

UN reports 56 civilian deaths in Afghanistan due to the conflict

At least 146 civilian casualties reported in Afghanistan between February 26 and March 2, 2026, including 42 deaths

8,400 people have become internally displaced due to the conflict

Pakistani airstrikes targeted military positions and civilian communities in Afghanistan

Taliban claims to have attacked Pakistani border posts and used commercial drones

WHERE:

Border regions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, specifically Nangarhar, Kandahar, Kunar, Paktia, Khost provinces in Afghanistan

Mohmand district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan

Kabul, Afghanistan

Asadabad in Kunar province, Afghanistan

Bagram area, north of Kabul, Afghanistan

WHEN:

Fighting has been ongoing for nine days as of March 6, 2026

Airstrikes reported on February 22, 2026, and February 27, 2026

Civilian casualties reported from February 26 to March 2, 2026

Turkish President Erdogan offered to mediate on March 4, 2026

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim spoke with Afghanistan’s Prime Minister on March 5, 2026

WHY:

Pakistan accuses the Taliban government of harboring the TTP, which has increased attacks within Pakistan since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021

Islamabad's military operations aim to compel Afghanistan to take action against the TTP and other militants

The conflict escalated following the end of a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey in October 2025

HOW:

Both sides engaged in airstrikes and ground troop operations

Pakistan's military operations were described as a response to Afghanistan's “aggression”

The Taliban condemned the airstrikes as violations of Afghan sovereignty

The U.N. has called for a halt to the fighting, citing worsening humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan

Ongoing clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan have escalated into what is being described as "open war," with both sides claiming significant troop casualties; Pakistan's military asserts it has killed 527 Afghan soldiers, while Afghanistan reports 150 Pakistani soldiers killed and 28 of its own troops lost. The conflict, which has seen airstrikes and ground operations over the past nine days, has resulted in at least 146 civilian casualties, including 42 deaths, and has displaced 8,400 people in the affected regions. In response to the violence, Turkish President Erdogan offered to mediate on March 4, while Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim engaged in discussions with Afghanistan's leadership just a day later.