Nearly 1,000 reported killed or wounded in Afghanistan-Pakistan escalation

Nearly a thousand people have been killed or injured amid escalating clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to officials from both sides.

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Pakistan’s Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said on social media platform X that at least 415 Afghan soldiers had been killed and more than 580 wounded during fighting with Pakistani forces.

Pakistan reports large-scale strikes

According to Tarar, Pakistani airstrikes targeted 46 locations inside Afghanistan. The Pakistani military said it destroyed 182 Afghan checkpoints and secured control over another 31 positions.

Officials also claimed that more than 185 armored vehicles belonging to Afghan forces were damaged during the operation.

Afghan authorities report civilian casualties

Afghan officials provided a different assessment, saying Pakistani strikes since Feb. 22 had killed at least 52 people, including women and children, and wounded another 66.

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Independent verification of casualty figures from either side remains limited.

Escalation follows cross-border strikes

Earlier reports indicated that Pakistan launched airstrikes in Afghanistan’s border regions on Feb. 22, 2026. Retaliatory strikes were later reported on Pakistani territory on Feb. 26.

On the morning of Feb. 27, Pakistan carried out additional air raids targeting Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia province, with at least three explosions reported in the Afghan capital.