Pakistan Declares 'Open War' on Afghanistan Amid Escalating Cross-Border Clashes

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif declared 'open war' on Afghanistan's Taliban government following escalating cross-border clashes and airstrikes. Pakistan conducted strikes on Taliban positions in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia, citing retaliation for Afghan attacks on its border troops. Afghanistan's Taliban claimed to have killed and captured Pakistani soldiers and denied casualties from Pakistani airstrikes. Both sides accuse each other of aggression amid a fragile ceasefire and longstanding tensions over militant groups and border disputes along the Durand Line.