Pakistan and Afghanistan Escalate Conflict Amid Longstanding Tensions and Cross-Border Attacks

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated into what Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif described as an "open war" following cross-border attacks and airstrikes on February 27. Pakistan targeted Kabul and other Afghan provinces, citing militant camps linked to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State Khorasan, while Afghanistan retaliated against Pakistani military positions. The conflict reflects longstanding mutual distrust rooted in historical, political, and geographic complexities, including Afghanistan's challenging terrain and tribal dynamics that have historically resisted external control.