Taliban Turns on Its Former Ally: Pakistan Faces Fierce Retaliation from Afghanistan

In a dramatic escalation along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border, what began as sporadic cross-border shelling has now turned into a near state of open warfare. Artillery exchanges have been reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Balochistan, with both sides claiming heavy casualties. The crisis has left Islamabad confronting an unprecedented irony — the Taliban, once fostered by Pakistan’s own intelligence establishment, is now fighting against it.

How the Tensions Escalated

According to reports, the latest hostilities began when Pakistan’s military conducted airstrikes on alleged Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts located inside Afghan territory. Islamabad claimed the strikes were in response to continued attacks by TTP militants operating from Afghanistan.

The Afghan government, led by the Taliban, responded swiftly. Afghan border troops launched artillery fire on Pakistani military posts across the Durand Line. Kabul claimed that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 21 border posts captured in the retaliatory assault. Although these figures remain unverified, multiple videos circulating online appear to show Taliban fighters occupying Pakistani positions and hoisting their flag over captured outposts.

A Reversal of Roles

The confrontation marks a turning point in a decades-long and often murky relationship between Pakistan and the Taliban. Islamabad had long been accused of backing the Taliban militarily and financially to maintain influence in Afghanistan.

However, since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, relations between the two sides have steadily soured. Pakistan accuses Kabul of sheltering TTP militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban, in turn, has accused Pakistan of repeated airspace violations and unprovoked aggression.

“This is the same Taliban that Pakistan once supported,” said a South Asia security analyst based in New Delhi. “Islamabad now finds itself fighting a force it helped build — a textbook case of blowback.”

Diplomatic Tensions and India’s Role

The situation gained added significance when Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived in New Delhi for talks with Indian officials — even as Afghan troops were engaged in clashes with Pakistani forces. Speaking from Delhi, Muttaqi issued a stern warning to Pakistan’s leadership, saying Afghanistan “knows how to defend its sovereignty.”

For Islamabad, this diplomatic backdrop is deeply uncomfortable. Kabul’s engagement with India — a country Pakistan sees as its primary rival — underscores how drastically regional equations are shifting.

According to diplomatic sources, Muttaqi met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, discussing security cooperation and regional stability. Observers say the optics alone send a powerful message: Afghanistan is no longer acting under Pakistan’s shadow.

Rising Unrest Inside Pakistan

As the border crisis unfolds, Pakistan’s internal situation is deteriorating. Widespread discontent against the army is visible in several cities, from Lahore to Peshawar. Members of the hardline Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) have clashed with soldiers, accusing the military of corruption and political interference.

Leaked videos show army personnel complaining about unpaid salaries and poor conditions. One soldier, speaking anonymously in a viral clip, said he had not received wages for six months. “We get two pieces of bread and tea twice a day,” he said. “We are exhausted and demoralized.”

Such reports paint a grim picture of morale within Pakistan’s armed forces, traditionally seen as the most powerful institution in the country.

Afghan Claims of Military Gains

In Kabul, Taliban officials have seized the moment to project confidence. At a press conference, Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry claimed that Taliban troops had “driven back” Pakistani forces and captured 24 Pakistani military posts. A spokesperson added that Afghan forces would “not tolerate any violation of sovereignty.”

While independent verification remains difficult, the Taliban’s narrative is resonating domestically in Afghanistan, where anti-Pakistan sentiment runs deep. Analysts say the group is using the confrontation to consolidate national legitimacy and portray itself as a defender of Afghan pride.

Pakistan’s Diplomatic Scramble

Facing both military and political pressure, Pakistan is reportedly reaching out to allies including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey to mediate. However, its traditional partners — notably China — have remained silent. Diplomatic insiders suggest Beijing is wary of being drawn into Islamabad’s border crisis amid growing instability in the region.

Pakistan’s foreign office, meanwhile, has downplayed the scale of the conflict, describing it as a “temporary border misunderstanding.” But the scale of military movements and social media evidence suggest the situation is far more serious than official statements admit.

India’s Strategic Advantage

For New Delhi, the situation presents a rare strategic opening. With Pakistan preoccupied on its western frontier, its capacity to escalate tensions on its eastern border has weakened. India’s engagement with Afghanistan, meanwhile, is expanding.

Analysts believe that New Delhi could use this moment to strengthen its influence in Kabul, supporting Afghanistan’s reconstruction efforts while indirectly countering Pakistan’s regional ambitions.

“This is perhaps the first time in decades that Pakistan faces a two-front dilemma,” said a retired Indian diplomat. “It’s a moment of vulnerability that India will study closely — not to exploit, but to understand how the regional balance is shifting.”

The Price of Playing with Fire

Pakistan’s current predicament is widely seen as the consequence of decades of flawed policies. By nurturing militant groups to advance its foreign policy goals, Islamabad underestimated the long-term risks. The Taliban, once viewed as a tool for regional leverage, has become a full-fledged adversary.

From the mountainous regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the deserts of Balochistan, Pakistan’s army is now engaged in firefights against the very militants it once empowered. The policy of “strategic depth” — conceived to give Pakistan influence in Afghanistan — has instead created a strategic disaster.

A Turning Point

As artillery echoes across the border and diplomatic lines heat up, Pakistan’s leadership faces an uncomfortable truth: the instruments of instability it once used have turned inward. The nation’s internal fragility, coupled with a hostile western border, leaves it dangerously exposed.

The Taliban’s message, delivered not just from Kabul but symbolically from New Delhi, could not be clearer — Afghanistan will no longer act as Pakistan’s proxy.

For Pakistan, this is not just a border dispute. It is the unraveling of an entire doctrine that defined its regional strategy for half a century.

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