This February 27, Pakistan launched airstrikes on Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, as well as other major Afghan cities. The attacks came in response to a major offensive by the Afghan Taliban against Pakistani military positions near the border on the night of February 26.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif declared an "open war" on the Afghan Taliban, while Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shenbaz Sharif indicated that the country has "the full capability to crush any aggressive ambitions."
Amin Saikal, an established expert on Afghanistan, believes that the strikes point to the desire of the Pakistani leadership to "punish" the Taliban, as Islamabad claims that the Afghan regime has been backing militants involved in the recent cross-border offensive.
Moreover, these latest strikes are different in nature, as they have targeted the Taliban government structures and facilities, not merely terrorist militant camps, according to Michael Kugelman, a senior fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council. Potentially, it is a sign that Islamabad will continue to target the Afghan regime; meanwhile, some analysts argue that it is unlikely the Taliban would engage in a conventional war against Pakistan.
Indeed, it is clear that the tensions between the two nations continue to escalate. As it seems that Pakistan has declared open war on the Taliban regime, it begs the question regarding the current state of affairs in Afghanistan itself.
Located at the crossroads of the Near East, Central Asia, and South Asia, Afghanistan has endured decades of conflict and upheaval. But what did the international mission in the country involve—and how do things look now? Read through this gallery to find out.