Pakistan and Afghanistan Taliban forces clash at border in escalating cross-border fighting

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalate sharply following a series of cross-border clashes, drone incursions, and retaliatory airstrikes. Pakistan launched precision airstrikes on September 24, 2026, targeting 10 locations in Afghanistan linked to drone operations, following the interception of eight Afghan drones. Meanwhile, heavy ground fighting in the Gulistan and Chaman sectors on September 25, 2026, left up to 17 Taliban fighters dead. Kabul denies launching drones and accuses Pakistan of killing civilians, threatening regional mediation efforts by China, Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

September 25 border clashes

• ▪Pakistani security forces thwarted an attempted cross-border infiltration by Afghan Taliban forces in the Gulistan sector of Balochistan on September 25, 2026.
• ▪Pakistani security sources claimed that cross-border clashes in the Gulistan and Chaman sectors on September 25, 2026, killed Afghan Taliban personnel

September 23 border clashes

• ▪Pakistani security forces foiled an infiltration attempt by militants near Afghan border posts in Paktia and Nangarhar provinces on September 23, 2026.
• ▪Afghan Taliban forces fired mortars and heavy weapons at Pakistani border posts on September 23, 2026, prompting retaliatory Pakistani artillery fire.

September 24 Pakistani airstrikes

• ▪Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that the September 24, 2026 Pakistani airstrikes targeted 10 locations in Afghanistan's Kandahar, Paktia, and Khost provinces that Islamabad claimed were used to launch and store drones
• ▪Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated that the September 24, 2026 Pakistani airstrikes on 10 locations killed four civilians in Kandahar, Paktia, and Khost provinces

September 23 drone dispute

• ▪Pakistan's security forces shot down eight drones allegedly launched from Afghanistan into Pakistani airspace on September 23, 2026, near the Torkham border and Kohat.
• ▪Afghan Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid rejected Pakistan's allegations of launching drone attacks against Pakistan on September 23, 2026.

September 21 Pakistani airstrikes

• ▪Afghan authorities and the United Nations mission in Afghanistan confirmed that at least three civilians were killed in the September 21, 2026 Pakistani airstrikes.
• ▪Pakistan conducted airstrikes on September 21, 2026, in eastern Afghanistan, which Islamabad claimed killed 28 militants belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

International mediation efforts

• ▪The escalating Pakistan-Afghanistan cross-border hostilities threaten mediation efforts by China, Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia to broker a lasting peace between Islamabad and Kabul
• ▪Mediation efforts by China, Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia to broker peace between Islamabad and Kabul have produced temporary ceasefires, but a broader peace deal has remained elusive

Debatable claims

• ▪Third-party mediation is an effective way to resolve the Pakistan-Afghanistan border conflict
• ▪Pakistan's airstrikes inside Afghanistan are a justified response to cross-border militancy
• ▪The Afghan Taliban bears responsibility for cross-border attacks by anti-Pakistani militants