Pakistan and Afghanistan on the brink of open war: dozens killed, border shut
September strikes and clashes have killed dozens and now threaten Uzbekistan's $7 billion Trans-Afghan railway.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated sharply in September 2026. Pakistan carried out airstrikes on targets inside Afghanistan, and deadly clashes broke out along the border. Each side disputes the other's casualty figures.
What happened
Pakistan's information ministry said on September 21 that 28 'terrorists' were killed in strikes on three targets in Afghanistan. On September 24 Pakistan struck 10 locations in the southern and eastern provinces of Kandahar, Paktia and Khost — sites it said were used to launch and store drones. Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said four civilians were killed.
Overnight into September 25, fighting erupted in the Gulistan sector of Balochistan. Pakistan claimed at least 13 Afghan Taliban personnel were killed; Afghanistan's Defence Ministry denied any losses, said it had destroyed a Pakistani post, and called Islamabad's account false.
The root cause — the TTP
Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of sheltering the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and other militants. After years of failed diplomacy, Pakistan turned to force. Key crossings such as Torkham and Chaman are closed; in the first month of an earlier closure, daily losses were estimated at 1 billion rupees — about $3.5 million.
Why it matters for Uzbekistan
The conflict directly threatens Uzbekistan's flagship transport project. The Trans-Afghan railway (Termez–Mazar-i-Sharif–Kabul–Peshawar, 573 km, its cost up from $5 billion to $7 billion) is meant to link Uzbekistan to Pakistan's Karachi, Gwadar and Qasim seaports. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev approved the feasibility-study agreement in February 2026. Analysts call the Kabul–Islamabad tension the project's single biggest obstacle.
Official statement
Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the strikes hit 'terrorist hideouts and support infrastructure including drone launching and storage sites,' and described a 'deliberate and unlawful incursion into Pakistan by drones.'
