Description: Bilateral tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have boiled over an armed conflict which took place in several border regions across the disputed Durand line border demarcation. The skirmishes intensified after the Taliban – led government in Afghanistan accused Pakistan of violating the country’s airspace by conducting strikes within Kabul and a busy marketplace in eastern Afghanistan. Clashes between the Pakistani military and border police forces and the Afghan Taliban were reported in the regions of Angoor, Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir, Chitral and Baramcha with the numbers of casualties and victims variating on both sides, as the Afghan government reported 9 deaths and 16 wounded while Pakistan reported 23 dead and several wounded. The largest trade border crossings in Torkham and Chaman were closed due to the violence, while Saudi Arabia and Qatar have publicly condemned the armed fighting and called for pursuing a diplomatic resolution to the bilateral tensions. Pakistan has consistently blamed Afghanistan for harboring the Pakistani Taliban and providing them with safe heaven to launch attacks across the Durand line. Pakistan in their statement claimed that several terrorist camps were destroyed and their security and military objectives were accomplished. The armed skirmishes as of Sunday evening have ceased on both sides with tensions still considerably elevated.
Impact: The armed confrontations between Pakistan and Afghanistan were unavoidable with tensions stemming from Afghanistan’s state sponsorship of terrorist groups and its recently concluded strategic partnership with India. The power dynamics in the region have drastically shifted and remained constantly oscillating in the past year influenced with the Pakistan – India conflict in May, the global trade war which spurred tensions between India and the US, Russia and China’s assertion in Afghanistan and the constant threats of separatist and terrorist groups alongside the Pakistan- Afghanistan border, the Kashmir region and the region of Balochistan. The Taliban have proven their unorthodox war waging capabilities in the past, however, the Taliban government in Kabul, according to public statements by the country’s Foreign Minister, has accepted the realities on the ground and the country’s incapability of waging a traditional conflict with Pakistan. Pakistan’s immediate military and security objectives have been accomplished with their interventions within Afghanistan, however, the country’s issues with numerous separatist and terrorist groups would continue. Renewed fighting in the near future is not expected as Qatar and Saudi Arabia have interceded in dousing down the armed confrontations.