Afghanistan–Pakistan war (Taliban government vs Pakistan)

Force sizes are estimates of personnel or fighters, usually from IISS, government statements or specialist reporting; irregular forces are especially hard to count. "(reported)" marks external support that the backer disputes or has not confirmed.

• 12 October 2026UN special rapporteur Richard Bennett calls for an independent investigation into Pakistani strikes that may amount to war crimes and urges ICC action. source ↗
• 11 October 2026Federal government imposes emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, dismissing the PTI-led provincial government; parliament endorses the move on 15 October. source ↗
• 9 October 2026Pakistan says it killed 12 TTP militants and Afghan Taliban fighters infiltrating in Kurram and lost one soldier; the Taliban say Pakistan fired first at Dand Patan and report no casualties. source ↗
• 5 October 2026Moscow-format talks end without agreement after the Taliban object to language linking Afghanistan with terrorism; Russia offers to mediate if both sides ask. source ↗
• 1 October 2026Pakistani air strikes in Helmand and Kunar; Pakistan says 22 militants were targeted, the Taliban report nine civilians killed, and UNAMA says at least ten civilians died, most of them children. source ↗
• 23 September 2026Pakistan strikes ten sites in Kandahar, Paktia and Khost after accusing Afghanistan of sending drones into its airspace; Afghan officials report at least four civilians killed. On 25 September Pakistan says it killed 13 Taliban fighters in a clash at Gulistan, Balochistan. source ↗
• 21 September 2026Pakistani jets strike Nurgal (Kunar) and Barmal (Paktika), ending a roughly three-month lull; UNAMA corroborates three civilians killed in Nurgal while Pakistan says 28 militants died. source ↗
• 18 September 2026Car-bomb and gun assault on Kohat's Old Police Lines mosque kills 31 (15 security personnel, 6 civilians, 8 attackers, 2 later deaths) and injures 103. source ↗

• 9 October 2025Pakistan strikes Kabul, Khost, Jalalabad and Paktika targeting TTP leaders; Taliban forces attack Pakistani border posts on 11–12 October.
• 19 October 2025Qatar- and Turkey-mediated ceasefire agreed in Doha; Kabul pledges to curb militants. Istanbul talks collapse on 8 November but the truce formally holds.
• 11 November 2025After a suicide bombing in Islamabad, Pakistan's defence minister declares a 'state of war'; the border stays closed and Saudi mediation fails in December.
• 21 February 2026Pakistani air strikes on claimed TTP/ISKP camps in Nangarhar, Paktika and Khost; the Taliban report 18 civilians killed in Bihsud; UNAMA confirms 13+ civilian deaths.
• 26 February 2026Taliban launch a four-hour 'retaliatory operation' on the border; Pakistan bombs Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia and Nangarhar.
• 27 February 2026Pakistan declares 'open war' (Operation Ghazab Lil Haq); strikes on Jalalabad airport (28 Feb), Bagram (1 Mar), Kabul, Panjshir, Herat and Badakhshan follow.
• 16 March 2026Pakistani strike destroys the Omid addiction-treatment hospital in Kabul: UNAMA counts at least 269 killed; Afghan authorities say 408. Pakistan denies targeting it.
• 19 March 2026Five-day Eid al-Fitr pause at the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey; fighting resumes 24 March.
• 2 April 2026China-mediated preliminary talks in Ürümqi; both sides agree to ease tensions but no agreement is reached (9 April).
• 25 May 2026Eid al-Adha pause (25–29 May) announced by the TTP; informal Taliban–Pakistan meeting in Termez, Uzbekistan on 4 June.
• 28 June 2026Pakistani ground operations and air strikes in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar; the UN confirms at least 41 civilian deaths from June's strikes; the Taliban respond with drone strikes into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
• 18 September 2026Suicide and gun assault on the Kohat police lines kills 31; Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan claims it. Pakistan resumes air strikes in Kunar and Paktika on 21 September.
• 1 October 2026Pakistan strikes claimed TTP and BLA camps in Helmand and Kunar; UNAMA says at least ten civilians, mostly children, were killed.
• 5 October 2026Eighth Moscow-format consultations end without a joint statement; border clashes in Kurram and Paktia follow on 9–10 October.
• 11 October 2026Pakistan imposes emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, citing the provincial government's disengagement from counter-terrorism.

Intensity classification: Classification uncertain. UNAMA verified 372 Afghan civilians killed by Pakistani strikes by 12 May 2026 and more than 1,100 civilian casualties (killed and injured) by October; military losses are only available as contested claims (Pakistan claims 796 Taliban fighters killed; Afghanistan claims 327 Pakistani soldiers killed; each side admits only a few dozen). Best estimate of total deaths since October 2025 is several hundred to about 2,000..

1. Wikipedia — 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war (index to primary sources) en.wikipedia.org
2. FDD Long War Journal — border clashes continue after Moscow talks (12 Oct 2026) longwarjournal.org
3. CFR Global Conflict Tracker — Afghanistan–Pakistan cfr.org
4. OHCHR — UN experts call for lasting peace on the Afghan–Pakistani border (Mar 2026) ohchr.org
5. UNAMA casualty confirmation (via News On AIR, 13 Mar 2026) newsonair.gov.in
6. Wikipedia — 2026 Kabul hospital airstrike en.wikipedia.org
7. ACLED Asia-Pacific Overview July 2026 acleddata.com
8. IFRI — Afghanistan-Pakistan: the overlooked war ifri.org