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Iran urges Afghanistan, Pakistan to ‘refrain’ from escalatory actions
The Iranian foreign ministry has urged neighbouring Afghanistan and Pakistan to “refrain” from escalatory actions.
In a statement, the ministry called on the “two sides to respect each other’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty and to refrain from any action that could escalate tensions and conflict”.
UN chief calls for immediate ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Guterres “is deeply concerned by the escalation of violence we’re seeing between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the impact that violence is having on civilian populations,” his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
“He calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and he reiterates his call on the parties to resolve any differences through diplomacy,” the spokesman added.
‘Localised clashes still going on’ along Afghanistan-Pakistan border
Localised clashes are still continuing along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border while Taliban officials say Pakistani aircraft continue to fly over Afghanistan’s territory, reported FRANCE 24’s correspondent Shahzaib Wahlah, following Pakistan’s bombing of major cities in Afghanistan including the capital Kabul on Friday.
‘Our enemy is not the Afghan people’, Pakistani ambassador tells FRANCE 24
Pakistan’s enemy is not the people of Afghanistan but rather the terror groups it claims the Afghan government has been supporting, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Pakistan’s ambassador to France, told France 24 on Friday, a day after Islamabad launched air strikes on Kabul and other cities in Afghanistan.
Red Cross urges ‘de-escalation’ in Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict
The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross called Friday for a de-escalation of hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan, insisting that civilians must be protected and healthcare access guaranteed.
ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement that her organisation was “preparing an operational response to humanitarian needs on the ground”, but stressed that “no humanitarian response can compensate for political will to respect the rules of war and prioritise de-escalation”.
Afghan Taliban open to talks after Pakistan bombs Kabul, Kandahar
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers said they were willing to negotiate after Pakistan bombed its forces in major cities and dozens of troops were killed in the most serious clashes between the allies-turned-foes.
Thick plumes of black smoke rose from two sites in Kabul and a huge blaze was also visible in video verified by Reuters.
“The plane came and dropped two bombs, then flew away again. After that, we heard explosions,” said Kabul taxi driver Tamim, who was asleep when the strikes hit. “Everyone, in panic, ran down from the second floor of the house. The ammunition inside the depot kept exploding on its own.”
Security sources in Pakistan said the strikes involved air-to-ground missile attacks on Taliban military offices and posts in response to Afghan attacks on Thursday.
The Taliban said Afghan forces had used drones to hit Pakistani military targets. Pakistan said all the drones had been brought down and there was no damage.
Afghanistan’s soldiers guard the border with Pakistan as both countries trade attacks
A Taliban soldier patrols the area at a military checkpoint at the Afghan side of the Ghulam Khan crossing with Pakistan in Khost province, Afghanistan, February 27, 2026. © Saifullah Zahir, AP
A Taliban fighter looks up while manning an armed pickup truck at the Afghan side of the Ghulam Khan crossing with Pakistan in Khost province, Afghanistan, February 27, 2026. © Saifullah Zahir, AP
Pakistan’s ‘open war’ on Afghanistan follows years of tensions
Afghan returnees, residents fear violence at key Pakistan crossing
Afghans who recently returned from Pakistan and residents near a key crossing expressed their fears of deadly border clashes on Friday, as smoke billowed from the mountains.
AFP journalists heard shellfire and gunfire in Torkham, with Afghan soldiers heading towards the frontier after overnight bombardment by Pakistan, in a major escalation following months of tit-for-tat clashes.
Fighting overnight hit a camp for Afghans who had just crossed from Pakistan, killing one and wounding several others, according to a provincial health official.
Gander Khan, a 65-year-old returnee, described how “children, women and old people were running”.
“I saw blood. It wounded two or three children and two or three women,” he told AFP, standing in front of rows of tents.
The Torkham crossing has remained open for Afghans returning en masse from Pakistan, despite the land border being otherwise largely shut since fighting between the neighbours in October.
Saudi, Qatar attempting to de-escalate Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict
Saudi Arabia and Qatar are engaged in efforts to halt deadly fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan, a source with knowledge of the talks told AFP on Friday.
“Riyadh and Doha have been in contact at the highest levels with both sides, and we hope the confrontation will end as soon as possible,” the source added.
The goal is to “de-escalate the situation and prevent it from spiralling out of control,” they added.
On Friday, the acting Afghan foreign minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi called Qatar’s chief negotiator Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, Doha said.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, also spoke with his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, according to a Saudi statement.
Pakistan bombs targets in Afghan cities, minister calls it ‘open war’
Pakistan launched air strikes on cities in neighbouring Afghanistan on Friday, in a major escalation after months of attacks and cross-border strikes along their porous frontier.
Pakistan says its air strikes killed 274 Taliban officials, Taliban says only 13 died
Pakistani officials and the Taliban have issued sharply different accounts of the outcomes of clashes between their forces.
Pakistani air strikes hit 22 Afghan military targets, Pakistan’s military spokesperson said on Friday, after heavy fighting between the South Asian neighbours that began overnight.
At least 12 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 274 Taliban officials and militants were killed since Thursday night, military spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told reporters.
The Taliban government confirmed Friday’s air strikes, with spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid saying Afghan forces killed 55 Pakistani soldiers, while putting the death toll among Afghan troops at 13.
Taliban security personnel operating an anti-aircraft gun keep watch for Pakistani airstrikes near the Durand Line in Gurbuz district of Khost province on February 27, 2026. ©AFP
Residents are pictured during Pakistani airstrikes near the Torkham border between Afghanistan and Pakistan on February 27, 2026. © Abdul Majeed, AFP
Pakistan PM to visit Russia on March 3-5, says Russian state media
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif plans a visit to Russia on March 3-5, Russian state news agency RIA reported, citing a Pakistani official.
Russia urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to halt cross-border attacks and resolve their differences through diplomatic means.
Afghanistan says it used drones to hit targets in Pakistan
The Afghan Taliban “successfully conducted” air strikes using drones to hit military targets in Pakistan, its defence ministry and a government spokesperson said on Friday, as fighting between the neighbours continued.
Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistani Taliban militants had tried to use drones against targets in Pakistan but they were brought down by anti-drone systems and there was “no damage to life”.
Pakistani FM speaks to Saudi counterpart, Afghan media reports
Following the overnight clashes, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah spoke to his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, reports independent Afghan television station Tolo TV.
“During the call, the two sides discussed regional developments and ways to reduce tensions in order to preserve regional security and stability,” reported Tolo TV, quoting a Saudi foreign ministry statement.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have a longstanding partnership that includes a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement, which was signed in September 2025.
Riyadh has limited contact with the Afghan Taliban. During the first Taliban reign in Afghanistan in the late 1990s, Saudi Arabia was among a handful of countries that recognised the Taliban. But Riyadh’s relations with the current regime in Kabul have been limited and have operated through Islamabad. The recent clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan have severed that indirect link to Kabul. Saudi Arabia however funds humanitarian projects to the Afghan people.
China ‘deeply concerned’ by Afghanistan-Pakistan fighting
China says it is “deeply concerned” by fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan and is talking to the two sides as it calls for a ceasefire.
China “calls on both sides to remain calm and exercise restraint… achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible, and avoid further bloodshed”, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing.
The ministry and China’s embassies in Pakistan and Afghanistan were “working with relevant parties in both countries on this matter”, she added.
Kabul resident wakes up to ‘horrifying’ explosions, gunfire, fighter jets overhead
Reporting from Islamabad, FRANCE 24’s Shahzaib Wahlah says the Pakistani state broadcaster said Pakistani fighter jets are still patrolling inside Afghan territory. Wahlah spoke to a Kabul resident who recounted waking up to heavy explosions.
“She said that she heard gunfire and fighter jets flying over the city for more than an hour, which she explained was horrifying,” he reports.
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