News Summary
- The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and recaptured constitutional power in 2021, currently governing based on Sharia law.
- Pakistan’s accelerated efforts to expel over 1.7 million Afghan refugees and tighten border sieges have intensified the conflict between the two sides.
- The ongoing conflict between Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and Pakistan poses a serious threat to peace and stability in South and Central Asia.
Kathmandu – The skies over Afghanistan thunder with Pakistani fighter jets, while the ground echoes with Taliban artillery fire, disrupting peace in South Asia. Taliban fighters in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar, Paktika, and Khost have launched intense attacks on Pakistani military bases.
After Pakistan officially declared an ‘open war,’ the border regions have turned into battlefields. According to the United Nations, over 6,600 Afghan civilians were displaced in the last week of February 2026 alone.
Geopolitical analysts identify the ‘Taliban’ at the center of this devastating conflict. This is the very group that Pakistan once fostered as a powerful instrument to maintain its ‘strategic depth.’ However, this power has now become Pakistan’s biggest challenge.
This report documents the historical and political journey from the Soviet invasion through the American withdrawal, the rise of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to the ongoing war today.
How Did the Taliban Rise?
The term ‘Taliban’ derives from the Pashto word ‘Talib,’ meaning ‘student.’ It is a radical Islamic militant organization that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and retook power in August 2021. Their ideology is rooted in a strict Deobandi interpretation of Islam combined with Pashtun tribal traditions (Pashtunwali).
The seeds of the Taliban were sown in 1979 during the Soviet invasion. When the Soviet Union deployed troops to support Afghanistan’s communist government, ‘Mujahideen’ (religious fighters) initiated resistance. Former Pakistani President Zia-ul-Haq and U.S. intelligence agencies provided the Mujahideen with billions of dollars in weapons and training during this period.
That force, cultivated by Pakistan as a strategic weapon, now stands opposed to Pakistan itself.
Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI monitored and controlled all this support. After the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, factional fighting among Mujahideen groups erupted into civil war, leading to widespread chaos and crime.
Amid this turmoil, in 1994, Mullah Mohammad Omar, a former Soviet-era fighter from Kandahar, founded the Taliban. He organized Pashtun refugee students he encountered at Pakistani madrasas, giving the group its name.
Promising security, the Taliban captured Kabul in 1996 and declared Afghanistan the ‘Islamic Emirate.’ However, after harboring Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the U.S. launched an invasion in 2001, toppling the Taliban. Over the next 20 years, they regrouped in Pakistan and regained power in 2021.
Internal Politics: Sharia Rule and Women’s Rights Crisis
After 2021, the Taliban reinstated the ‘Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.’ Supreme leadership rests with Hibatullah Akhundzada, who issues orders from Kandahar and governs the regime. The parliament and constitution have been abolished, and the judiciary operates entirely under Sharia law.
The situation for women has drastically deteriorated. A new criminal law announced in January 2026 imposes severe restrictions on women’s freedom, banning secondary and higher education for women, barring them from government jobs, and prohibiting their voices in public spaces.
The international community assesses these as acts of gender discrimination. Economically, the country is in crisis; foreign aid has been halted, and $7 billion in bank reserves are frozen, forcing the Taliban government to rely heavily on opium trade and mineral exports.
Global and Geopolitical Dynamics
The Taliban’s international image is currently at a turning point. In 1996, only Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE recognized their regime. By July 3, 2025, Russia formally recognized them, and China has also accepted their ambassador.
Geopolitically, Afghanistan remains the center of the ‘Great Game.’ China has increased attraction to Afghanistan’s lithium and copper mines under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), while Russia expands cooperation with the Taliban for its security and trade routes.
Meanwhile, the 1893 ‘Durand Line’ border dispute established by the British continues to fuel tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Major Challenge: The Blowback Effect
The power Pakistan created as a strategic asset has now turned against it. In 2007, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was formed, declaring war on the Pakistani government.
TTP shares religious and ethnic ties with the Taliban. After the Taliban regained Kabul in 2021, TTP intensified attacks within Pakistan. Islamabad pressured the Taliban to restrain TTP, but the Taliban continue providing sanctuary under the banner of ‘Pashtun brotherhood.’
As a result, Pakistan has accelerated the expulsion of 1.7 million Afghan refugees and increased border containment, escalating conflict into open warfare between the two nations.
The Open War of 2026 and the Taliban’s Role
In October 2025, Pakistan targeted TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud with airstrikes in Kabul, further escalating tensions. Following renewed attacks in Nangarhar and Khost in February 2026, the Taliban declared a large-scale war.
On February 26, Taliban fighters claimed to have attacked Pakistani border posts, killing 110 soldiers and capturing 27 outposts. In response, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab Lil Haq, conducting heavy bombardments on Kabul and Kandahar. In this conflict, the Taliban have mobilized not only TTP militants but also displaced Afghan civilians to fight against Pakistan.
History shows that this organization, born from external powers and strategic interests, ultimately opposes its own creators. Pakistan’s dream of ‘strategic depth’ has now been gravely wounded.
This war threatens not only the two countries but peace and stability across South and Central Asia. Unless the Durand Line dispute and the TTP insurgency are resolved, regional peace appears unlikely to be restored.
