Pakistan declared war with Afghanistan after clashes on the border. What the media is writing

An armed conflict broke out between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Taliban announced an attack on Pakistan's border facilities in response to last week's airstrikes. Islamabad declared an "open war" with Afghanistan and hit targets in Kabul and Kandahar. How the world media reacts to the conflict between the two countries that has flared up again is in the Izvestia digest.

Al Jazeera: Afghanistan launched attacks against Pakistan

The Taliban-controlled Afghan authorities have announced a response to Pakistan's airstrikes last week. They launched attacks on Pakistan's military positions along its border, while Islamabad announced a retaliatory strike with its own forces. The press service of the Afghan military corps in the east reported that "heavy clashes" began late on February 26 "in response to recent airstrikes by Pakistani forces in the provinces of Nangarhar and Paktia."

Relations between the neighboring countries have deteriorated sharply in recent months, as land crossings along the 2,611-kilometer border known as the Durand Line have largely been closed following bloody clashes in October that killed more than 70 people on both sides. A source in the Afghan armed forces said that 10 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 13 strongholds were captured on Thursday. According to the Taliban, these attacks were carried out in retaliation for attacks by Pakistanis along the border.

"Open war": how the conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan is developing

Fighting has engulfed the border areas and major cities of Afghanistan.

The Guardian: Pakistan bombed Kabul after border clashes escalated

Pakistan bombed the Afghan capital Kabul and two other provinces a few hours after the border attack, which was another escalation between these neighboring countries, which signed a ceasefire agreement in 2025 with the mediation of Qatar. At least three explosions occurred in Kabul, while both sides provided different data on the number of victims and affected areas.

The Afghan Ministry of Defense reported that 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed in border clashes, and some bodies were brought to Afghanistan, including several "captured alive." At the same time, eight Afghan soldiers were killed and 11 others were injured. The Ministry reported the destruction of 19 Pakistani army posts and two bases.

The New York Times: Pakistan strikes Afghanistan as part of an "open war"

Pakistan has launched airstrikes on two of Afghanistan's largest cities, including the capital Kabul, escalating months of tension and border clashes to open conflict. According to Zabiullah Mujahid, a representative of the Taliban government, in addition to Kabul, where 6 million people live, the strikes fell on the southern city of Kandahar, where the supreme leader of the Taliban, Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada, lives, as well as on the border province of Paktia.

Pakistan claims that the Taliban allow the Pakistani Taliban to train and operate freely in Afghanistan, from where they launch attacks across the border. The Taliban deny that they are providing safe haven to this group, and claim that the Pakistani government is shifting the blame for its own failures in ensuring internal security. In private conversations, Afghan officials have acknowledged the presence of the Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan. Last year, the Pakistani Taliban killed more than 440 people in about 300 attacks across Pakistan, according to the Pakistan Peace Research Institute. More than 80% of the dead were members of the security forces.

Reuters: what is the condition of the armed forces of Afghanistan and Pakistan

Overnight, cross-border fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan intensified, with both sides claiming heavy losses, and Pakistan's defense minister saying his country was in an "open war" with its neighbor. In the face of ongoing tensions, according to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, Pakistan significantly outnumbers Afghanistan in terms of armed forces and arsenals.

There are 660,000 military personnel in the armed forces of Pakistan, of which 560,000 serve in the ground forces, 70,000 in the air force and 30,000 in the Navy. The armed forces of the Afghan Taliban are much weaker and number only 172 thousand active military personnel. However, the group has announced plans to expand its armed forces to 200,000 people. Pakistan has more than 6,000 armored combat vehicles and more than 4,600 artillery pieces. Afghan forces also have armored combat vehicles, including Soviet-era main battle tanks, armored personnel carriers, and autonomous underwater vehicles, but the exact number is unknown.