On the night of Thursday, October 9, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) carried out several airstrikes in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, marking a historic and dangerous escalation.

It was the first direct assault by Pakistan on Kabul since the Taliban took power in 2021. Loud explosions shook the northern and central districts, as Pakistan claimed that these locations were hideouts of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — a militant group it blames for repeated cross-border attacks.

Earlier, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had raised tensions when he declared in parliament that “enough is enough”, signaling that Pakistan might launch a broader offensive against TTP networks. He reminded lawmakers, “We visited Kabul three years ago and demanded they dismantle these sanctuaries—no action was taken.” His words revealed years of frustration with the Taliban’s reluctance to curb militant safe havens.

Asif also accused Afghanistan of strengthening ties with India, saying Kabul had always “sided with India.” This accusation reflects Islamabad’s growing anxiety over India’s increasing diplomatic engagement with Afghanistan.

Unconfirmed reports suggested that TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud was among those targeted in the strike. However, an audio message circulating on Afghan social media — allegedly from Mehsud — claimed he was alive and unharmed, denying speculation about his death.

The Taliban government reacted sharply, describing the attack as a “declaration of war.” Their spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, confirmed the explosions but said no casualties were yet reported. Within Afghanistan, calls for a strong retaliatory response began to rise.

The timing of these airstrikes was striking. Pakistan launched the assault precisely when Taliban Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was visiting New Delhi to discuss economic cooperation — a visit that Pakistan had openly opposed.

Muttaqi reached India on October 9 after the UN Security Council granted him a temporary travel waiver from international sanctions. Pakistani forces have since announced that their official spokesperson will brief the media in a press conference at 2:30 p.m. (Pakistani time) on Friday, October 10.

Is Pakistan Nervous? Airstrikes Coincide with Taliban Minister’s India Visit

The coincidence between Pakistan’s Kabul strike and the Taliban foreign minister’s first-ever trip to India has raised questions. Was Islamabad sending a warning to both Kabul and New Delhi?

Local Afghan media reported that the airstrike near Shahid Abdul Haq Square was meant to eliminate TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud, who took charge of the group in 2018. However, the same evening, an audio message surfaced from Mehsud claiming he was safe, challenging Pakistan’s media reports that he was dead.

Mehsud, long considered one of Pakistan’s most dangerous militants, has repeatedly attacked Pakistani military personnel. He has viewed Islamabad’s post-9/11 alliance with the United States as an act of betrayal. In the last two decades, his group, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, has claimed dozens of deadly assaults, the latest on October 8, when a TTP ambush near the Afghan border killed 11 Pakistani soldiers, including two senior officers.

Former U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad condemned Pakistan’s bombing as a “huge escalation” and urged negotiations instead of confrontation. He wrote:

“In recent days, Taliban operatives have been active in Pakistan, attacking ISIS and killing a number of its leaders. The Pakistanis have been recklessly backing ISIS operatives against Afghanistan and their own Baloch nationalist insurgency. The Afghans, in turn, have been permissive towards the TTP.”

Message to Pakistan Army This was just a trailer. The complete film is about to come. This time even your new father Trump cannot save you. Its time for Afghanistan to make a strong decision and sign a defense agreement with India brothers #Kabul #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/87Lk6kmVV3 — Dr Faryal Afghan (@Drfaryal0) October 9, 2025

Khalilzad’s statement highlighted a chaotic regional situation where rival extremist factions and national armies are tangled in violence.

Notably, Pakistan’s air raids occurred just 24 hours after Defence Minister Asif issued a fiery warning in parliament. He said Pakistan’s patience had worn thin as militants continued to use Afghan soil to strike across the border. “Enough is enough,” he reiterated.

By Friday, Asif openly admitted that Pakistan, once a state sponsor of militancy, now faces the consequences of its own past. In his post on X (Twitter), he stated:

“Despite years of negotiations with the Afghan government, the bloodshed in Pakistan has not stopped. Daily funerals of military personnel are being held. We are paying the price of 60 years of hospitality to 6 million Afghan refugees with our blood.”
He further added:
“The time has come for Afghan guests to return to their homes and end this cycle of terror and murder.”

?Breaking : Khawaja Asif today warned Afghanistan in PaK assembly “ENOUGH is ENOUGH, our patience has been exhausted. Terrorism originating from Afghan soil is now INTOLERABLE" He even threatened that they (Pakistan forces) won't hesitate even if there is a risk of large… pic.twitter.com/b7di6ENb1y — OsintTV ? (@OsintTV) October 9, 2025

Taliban Foreign Minister’s India Trip Amid Rising Tensions

The airstrikes appear to be a calculated message from Islamabad — not only to the Taliban regime but also to India, which has been slowly re-establishing official contact with Kabul.

The Taliban’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is in India on a six-day official visit, holding separate meetings with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. These are the highest-level diplomatic interactions between India and Afghanistan since the U.S. withdrawal in 2021.

India’s renewed outreach follows the Taliban’s strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people. That statement helped rebuild trust, allowing India to cautiously open dialogue without formally recognizing the Taliban regime.

At the same time, India has been delivering humanitarian aid, food supplies, and medical relief to Afghanistan, attempting to strengthen bilateral goodwill. This shift has alarmed Pakistan, whose influence over Afghan affairs has sharply declined.

Analysts believe Pakistan’s Kabul airstrikes were timed to undermine Taliban–India diplomacy, serving as a blunt warning that Islamabad still intends to shape Afghanistan’s destiny. As one senior Afghan analyst told Al Jazeera, “Pakistan’s bombs are not just falling on Kabul — they are falling on diplomacy.”