Pakistan in an open war with Afghanistan, Pakistan defence minister says

Smoke rises following what Pakistani and Taliban officials say are Pakistani strikes, in Kabul, Afghanistan, in this still image taken from video released February 27, 2026. Pakistani security forces/Handout via REUTERS

ISLAMABAD, ⁠Feb 27 (Reuters) - Pakistani ⁠Defence Minister Khawaja ‌Muhammad Asif said on Friday that ​the country ⁠was in ⁠an "open war" with neighbouring ⁠Afghanistan, ‌declaring that ⁠Islamabad's patience had run ​out ‌as tensions escalated ⁠overnight, ​with both sides reporting ⁠heavy losses.

"Our cup ​of patience has overflowed. Now it ⁠is open war between us and you (Afghanistan)," he ​said.

(Reporting ⁠by Asif Shahzad, ​writing ‌by Sakshi Dayal; ​Editing by Himani Sarkar)