Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu Newsletters NPR Shop Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music The Best Music of 2025 All Songs Considered Tiny Desk Music Features Live Sessions Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop The Best Music of 2025 All Songs Considered Tiny Desk Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Pakistan says there is 'open war' with Afghanistan after latest strikes Pakistan's defense minister says there is "open war" on the Afghan Taliban government after tensions between the two countries flared. World Pakistan says there is 'open war' with Afghanistan after latest strikes February 27, 20264:43 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition Diaa Hadid Pakistan says there is 'open war' with Afghanistan after latest strikes Listen · 2:30 2:30 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5728217/nx-s1-9666147" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript Pakistan's defense minister says there is "open war" on the Afghan Taliban government after tensions between the two countries flared. Sponsor Message
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Pakistan hit a series of military installations across Afghanistan overnight. The Pakistani defense minister described the attacks as an open war. It's not clear yet what the death toll is. NPR's Diaa Hadid has this report, which includes a sound of gunfire.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR: (Non-English language spoken).
DIAA HADID, BYLINE: A commentator on Pakistani state-run TV talks over grainy aerial footage that shows structures being bombed to dust. He claims that Taliban fighters are waving the white flag.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR: (Non-English language spoken).
HADID: Pakistan has struck Afghanistan in the past, including earlier this week, but hitting Taliban government installations is a major escalation. It comes as Pakistan reels from attacks that have been increasing in frequency and lethality since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan four years ago. The violence included an Islamic State suicide bomber who killed more than 30 people in a Shiite mosque earlier this month. According to the U.N., it was the deadliest attack in the Pakistani capital in more than a decade.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Non-English language spoken).
HADID: Pakistan says these attacks are happening because the Taliban is sheltering militant groups and even aiding some. This is Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on state-run TV.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ATTAULLAH TARAR: Pakistan will not tolerate the Afghan soil being used against Pakistan for terrorist attacks. Not only being used, but the terrorists are getting training in Afghanistan.
HADID: The Taliban have said in the past that they're being blamed for Pakistan's security failures. They did not immediately comment to NPR. Even as Pakistani strikes continued, one militant group released videos to journalists on WhatsApp, showing them fighting back.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Non-English language spoken).
HADID: Abdul Basit is a researcher in religious extremism, terrorism and security in South Asia. He worries that the strikes will only strengthen the resolve of militant groups and the Taliban, but he says Pakistan is running out of options.
ABDUL BASIT: This is very bad and is going to be a bloody summer.
HADID: One where shifting alliances across the region are creating their own instability. Relations between India and the Taliban have grown increasingly stronger, and that means Pakistan sees two hostile neighbors on its borders growing closer. Analysts say how that will impact this fighting just yet isn't clear, and that makes the endgame hard to predict.
Diaa Hadid, NPR News, Mumbai.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor MessageBecome an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{1167:function(e,n,c){e.exports=c(323)},323:function(e,n,c){"use strict";c.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([c.e(1),c.e(2),c.e(3),c.e(4),c.e(84)]).then(function(e){c(3),c(1140),c(116),c(94),c(52),c(493),c(239),c(102),c(104),c(1141),c(143),c(1142),c(238),c(48),c(1143)}.bind(null,c)).catch(c.oe)}},[[1167,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();