In October 2025, Pakistan launched a wave of airstrikes deep into Afghan territory, claiming to target militants of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Instead, it ignited one of the most serious border conflicts in South Asia in decades. The strikes which hit civilian areas in provinces such as Khost and Paktika, provoked a fierce response from Afghanistan’s Taliban regime. What followed was an exchange of artillery fire, drone strikes, and mutual recriminations that left hundreds dead and the Pakistan–Afghanistan border effectively militarised.
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For years, Pakistan’s military establishment boasted of “strategic depth” in Afghanistan, the idea that a pliant Taliban government in Kabul could serve as a security buffer against India. But that illusion has shattered. The Taliban, once Pakistan’s most valuable proxy, has turned its guns on its former patron.
The Monster Pakistan Built
The roots of this conflict run deep.
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