Why Pakistan and Afghanistan Are Fighting
Historical CIA map showing the Durand Line and Pashtun border regions. Via Wikimedia Commons, public domain. The map does not show current front lines. Pakistan’s September 2026 airstrikes inside Afghanistan exposed a rupture between former strategic partners. Islamabad accused Kabul of allowing militants to plan attacks from Afghan territory; the Taliban government denied the allegation and accused Pakistan of violating its sovereignty. The dispute is not caused by one event. It combines a colonial-era border, the rise of the Pakistani Taliban and the collapse of a security relationship that Pakistan spent decades building. Pakistan says Afghanistan’s Taliban government allows Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, to operate from Afghan territory and organize attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul denies the accusation and says Pakistan is using it to justify violations of Afghan sovereignty. Why the latest fighting started On September 21, 2026, Pakistan said it carried out airstrik...