ISLAMABAD: There was no let-up in fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan as the conflict entered its third day despite efforts by the international community to de-escalate the situation, which has claimed scores of lives since Thursday night.

The clashes started after the Afghan Taliban targeted Pakistani positions along the border in response to earlier air strikes by Pakistan in multiple Afghan provinces to target the militants involved in cross-border attacks. Pakistan launched the operation ‘Ghazb lil Haq’ in response and took out military targets across Afghanistan.

On Saturday, the armed forces continued ground and air operations against the Afghan Taliban overnight, striking formation headquarters in Nangarhar and other areas.

The headquarters of the Afghan army in Kandahar and Nangarhar provinces were destroyed in targeted air strikes carried out by the armed forces, said security sources. State-run media reported that air strikes “hit two targets at the Mohmand Dara Base in Nangarhar” while Afghan Taliban posts near Miranshah and in the Ghulam Khan sector along the border were also destroyed.

Info ministry says 331 Taliban combatants killed, 104 posts destroyed so far

In a statement on Saturday, Info­rmation Minister Attaullah Tarar claimed that under the operation ‘Ghazab lil-Haq’, the armed forces have killed “331 Afghan Taliban personnel and injured more than 500 others” since the start of the operation. He said that the armed forces had destroyed 104 posts and captured 22 others. According to the minister, 163 tanks and other vehicles were also destroyed, and 37 locations had been targeted across the border.

Amid intense clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, authorities across the country took a series of precautionary measures, such as hospital emergencies in areas near the border and a ban on drones in almost all parts of the country.

According to a notification, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir government imposed an immediate and complete ban on outdoor drone flying across the territory for 30 days to ensure the safety of citizens and protection of public and private installations amid heightened tensions along the country’s western borders.

Meanwhile, in Landi Kotal, the authorities relocated all 37 under-trial prisoners to a lockup in Jamrud after mortar shells fired from Afghanistan fell in the nearby tehsil offices compound. Officials said that the tehsil offices compound was earlier vacated, with district administration officials advised to work from home. The ‘open war’ also took a toll on the Afghan refugees, as the state authorities intensified their crackdown against them.

Claim rejected

The information ministry rejected claims about a Pakistani jet being shot down in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar.

The ministry’s fact-check account on X attributed the claims to Afghan Taliban officials that were “amplified by Indian media”.

“The Ministry of Defence of the so-called Islamic Emirate claimed that Afghan forces shot down a Pakistani fighter jet in Nangarhar and captured its pilot alive. The claim was widely amplified by Indian media and Afghan propaganda outlets,” it said.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington did not view Pakistan as the aggressor in the latest escalation and that Islamabad was under pressure to address its security challenges, Reuters reported, adding Wash­ington hoped the situation would not escalate further.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that “our cup of patience has overflowed” and described the fighting as “open war”, warning that Pakistan would respond to further attacks.

According to Reuters, Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said 19 civilians were killed and 26 wounded in Khost and Paktika. Reuters could not verify the claim.

Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani said in a speech in Khost province that the conflict “will be very costly”, and that Afghan forces had not deployed broadly beyond those already engaged.

Pakistan’s military capabilities far exceed those of Afghanistan, with a standing army of hundreds of thousands and a modern air force. In stark contrast, the Taliban lacks a conventional air force and relies largely on light weaponry and ground forces.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2026