Tensions on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border are escalating amid reports that Islamabad is trying to take over parts of Afghan territory.
https://p.dw.com/p/5BVa2The Afghan Taliban and Pakistan have been clashing for weeks Image: AFPAdvertisementWhile Pakistan works on positioning itself as potential mediator in the war between the US, Israel, and Iran, its forces continue to wage war on the Afghan Taliban along Pakistan's western border.
Pakistani forces are increasingly bombing border regions in Afghanistan, and reports have emerged Islamabad is working on creating a sphere of influence along the border, also known by its colonial-era name, the Durand Line.
At the same time, a "Pakistan-Afghanistan Peace Jirga" convened on March 31 in Peshawar, Pakistan near the Afghanistan border. Jirgas are traditional gatherings of leaders in the Pashtun tribal areas to resolve conflicts.
The assembly issued a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and urged that the conflict be resolved through dialogue.
Whether this resolution has any effect beyond political signaling remains to be seen.
In late February, Pakistan's defense minister said Islamabad was in a state of "open war" with Afghanistan, and began a bombing campaign.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan's Taliban-ruled government of supporting militant groups like the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is blamed for a series of bloody attacks in Pakistan. The Taliban leadership in Afghanistan denies providing any support.
The initial clashes took place in the fall of 2025. The fighting also saw Pakistani forces targeting Afghan capital, Kabul. Despite peace negotiations brokered by Turkey and the Gulf emirate of Qatar, the two sides failed to achieve a permanent resolution of the conflict.
Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan escalate To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Now, reports are emerging from Afghanistan's eastern provinces bordering Pakistan — including Paktia, Kunar, and Nuristan — of artillery fire, drone strikes, and blocked roads.
According to the Taliban, a civilian was killed and 17 others, including women and children, were injured in Kunar Province. Strikes were also reported in Kabul.
In Nuristan Province, in the remote districts of Kamdesh and Barg-e-Matal, residents have been reporting shortages of food, fuel, and medicine for days. They say they have been cut off from the outside world.
Several Pakistani media outlets are also reporting on a security zone stretching up to 32 kilometers (20 miles) inside Afghan territory, allegedly to prevent cross-border attacks by the TTP.
Official sources in Islamabad have not yet confirmed any territorial expansion.
Meanwhile, the Taliban in Afghanistan have rejected reports of Pakistani forces on Afghan soil. They say their forces remain stationed in Kamdesh and Barg-e-Matal, among other locations, and are defending "every inch" of Afghan territory. The Taliban said reports of Pakistani units taking over districts are unfounded.
Tahir Khan, a Pakistani foreign affairs analyst, told DW that Pakistan considers the frontier with Afghanistan to be an international border. "Any attempt to take control of Afghan territory would be considered a violation of international law," Khan said.
Ali K. Chishti, a Riyadh-based security analyst, confirmed to DW the establishment of a buffer zone. However, he emphasized that Pakistan is not seeking formal territorial expansion.
"This is exclusively a temporary measure until a solution is sought and some kind of joint mechanism is agreed upon," Chishti said.
Meanwhile, Afghan journalist Sami Yousafzai told DW that obtaining reliable information from the ground is very difficult.
"I cannot confirm that part of Afghanistan has fallen to Pakistan," he said.
The 2,640-kilometer border runs right through a Pashto-speaking settlement area. In Afghanistan, this border demarcation is controversial today, as it was agreed upon with the British but not with Pakistan, which was founded in 1947.
In practice, however, it forms the international border between the two countries.
The Durand Line was named after Henry Mortimer Durand, the Foreign Secretary of the Indian administration of the British Empire, and was formally drawn in 1893.
As the violence persists, the former governor of Nuristan Province, Jamaluddin Badr, told DW that the situation for the civilian population is dire and highly alarming.
He said the region is "not a TTP stronghold," so there is no reason to target it.
"If this situation continues and the bombings do not subside, it will have long-term consequences," he said, adding that if military units were to occupy these districts, it would simultaneously open the way to northern Afghanistan, Badr said.
Officially, Pakistan claims to be bombing only TTP bases. But human rights organizations see it differently.
Human Rights Watch, for instance, described a Pakistani airstrike on the Omid Drug Rehabilitation Center in Kabul on March 16 as an "unlawful attack" and a possible war crime.
According to international reports, at least 143 people were killed in the strike, most of them patients. Islamabad, however, has spoken of "precise airstrikes" against military infrastructure and rejects the allegations.
Taliban blame Pakistan for deadly Kabul drug facility hit To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Pakistani diplomat Asif Durrani told DW that Pakistan has "made it clear to the Afghan Taliban that they must choose between Pakistan and the TTP."
"As long as the Taliban regime does not take concrete measures, the current policy of cracking down on the TTP is likely to continue," he said.
It therefore remains to be seen whether the Taliban leadership will move closer to Pakistan on security policy or distance itself. Kabul has signaled a willingness to engage in talks.
It also remains to be seen whether the current escalation will lead to a political agreement or usher in a new phase of ongoing border instability.
With reporting by Shakila Ibrahimkhel, and Haroon Janjua in Islamabad
This article was translated from German
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