Pakistan vs Taliban OPEN WAR | Why is it Happening? | Dhruv Rathee

February 2026, Islamabad's Rawalpindi garrison. The most powerful

generals in Pakistan were together in a room. Watching satellite

images on the screens. Roads of Kabul, TTP sites, and Taliban's ammunition depots. These generals were

faced with a strange problem. The ones they had

fostered in the past, now, they had to be stopped. Hello, friends. On February 27, 2026. Pakistan's defence

minister Khawaja Asif said something unimaginable. He said that Pakistan's

patience had run out. And declared an open war. Normally, if you look

at Pakistan's history, anyone would assume that he

was talking about a war with India. But no. This statement was about the

Talibani government in Afghanistan. The same Taliban that

was empowered by Pakistan, trained and funded

by Pakistan's ISI. Supported for decades. Today, Pakistan has announced an

open war against that very Taliban. Like every war, the price of this war has to

be paid by the common people. Every week, more than

100 civilians are dying. About 15 people every day. Hospitals are being attacked. Children are dying. But the question is, why did this start? The Taliban created by Pakistan, how did it become

Pakistan's biggest nightmare? This isn't as

simple as it seems. Because not even Pakistan's generals

could've expected the twist that followed. In 1994, a convoy passed through the

dusty streets of Afghanistan. The convoy included ISI officers

accompanied by a man named Mullah Omar. He couldn't see out of one eye, and wore a turban. He was a teacher

at a small madrasa. The ISI officers

offered him a deal. They would give him weapons,

money, and the required training, And they gave him a task. He had to get control

over Afghanistan, and do as Pakistan said. Pakistan's Intelligence Agency came up with

the idea for this deal during the 1990s, when Afghanistan was

plunged into a civil war. They believed that if there could be

a 'friendly government' in Afghanistan, it would give them a

strategic depth against India. Taliban's leader Mullah

Omar accepted this deal. And in response, ISI

sent them oil tankers. A huge amount of weapons, And the religious schools

in Pakistan became the recruitment

centre for the Taliban. Within two years, in 1996, Taliban had successfully

occupied Kabul. Taliban then formed the new

government in Afghanistan. Back then, only three countries officially

recognised the Taliban government. Pakistan was one of them. But then in 2001, the

most horrific terrorist attack in the US history took place. The US responded by

overthrowing the Talibani government. Publicly, Pakistan

supported America. But secretly, it was still providing a safe haven,

training, and money to Taliban. Pakistan worked with

both sides for 20 years. And when America finally

withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, Taliban came back to power, then Pakistan's Prime

Minister Imran Khan said, that the Afghans have broken

free from the chains of slavery. "It is more difficult to break

the chains of mental slavery like how Afghanistan broke

free from the chains of slavery." Presenting Taliban's

victory as Pakistan's own. Pakistan believed that its

puppets were back in power. But Pakistan hadn't

calculated one thing. The power created out

of religious fanaticism cannot be controlled for long. It plays by its own rules. That power had now

turned on Pakistan. This is where the Tehreek-e-Taliban

Pakistan was formed. Short form, TTP. Also known as the

Pakistani Taliban. These were the students

of the ISI Madrasas. They fought along

with the Afghan Taliban. But ever since Pakistan

supported America, for America's war on terror, they were critical of Pakistan. TTP has only one purpose. To overthrow Pakistan's

elected government in order to implement

the Sharia law. The United Nations has

declared it a terrorist organisation. And to achieve this purpose, the TTP has caused a lot

of bloodshed in Pakistan. For example, December 2014. Imagine, Peshawar's

Army Public School. At 10 in the morning. Students sitting

in their classrooms. Some might be

solving a math question, some might be

talking to their friends. Their bags carried

their tiffin boxes, packed by their

mothers in the morning. And then, the loud bangs

of gunshots could be heard. The TTP terrorists went to

each classroom and fired bullets. 132 children were killed. 132 children between the ages of 8 and 18. The teachers tried

to save the children. One of the teachers, Tahira Qazi,

was shot trying to shield the students. 149 people were killed that day. It was the darkest day

in the history of Pakistan. Since Taliban came

to power in 2021, the frequency of TTP attacks increased

even more during the last 5 years. In 2024, 2,236 people died in

terrorism-related incidents in Pakistan. Whereas in 2025, this number increased to 4,001. Almost double. This is so concerning that

Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir called the TTP a

fundamental enemy. But this is where the

situation becomes complicated. While the TTP calls itself an

extension of the Afghan Taliban, and has pledged allegiance

to the Afghan Taliban, the Afghan Taliban has given the

TTP a safe haven in its own territory. Think about how strange it is, Pakistan's biggest enemy is being

protected by Pakistan's oldest friend. It's just like what

Pakistan did to America, by giving refuge to

Osama Bin Laden. Taliban is doing the

same to Pakistan. Friends, before we move ahead,

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guides, and much more. Now, let's get

back to our topic. 8th October, 2025. TTP ambushed a convoy of the

Pakistan Army in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 11 Pakistani

soldiers were killed. Pakistan responded to it by doing

something it had never done before. It carried out direct airstrikes on

Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Their target was the TTP

chief, Noor Wali Mehsud, he lived in Kabul. Noor Wali survived this strike, but this brought Pakistan and

Afghan Taliban into combat. The Taliban government attacked the Pakistani military

installations in response. At least 23 Pakistani

soldiers were killed. As well as 9 Afghani soldiers. The clashes continued for days, and eventually, a ceasefire was reached

with the mediation of Qatar and Turkey. But this ceasefire

was an illusion, friends. A bigger war was yet to come. Pakistan had a simple demand. It wanted Taliban to take

strict action against the TTP. But Taliban didn't do that. And this became the most

complicated part of this whole conflict. Most people don't know this. Imagine Taliban's defence

minister sitting in a room in Kabul. On the one hand, Pakistan was threatening

them to take action against the TTP, if not, they would be bombed. And on the other hand, his

intelligence chief advised, if they were to take

action against the TTP, then thousands

of the TTP fighters will go join ISIS Khorasan. And Afghanistan will

be at a greater risk. ISIS-Khorasan. Also known as ISIS-K. This is another dangerous group operating

out of Afghanistan for many years. It is Taliban's biggest rival. And the Taliban is afraid that once TTP is gone, its members will

join this group. Instead of solving the problem, two new problems will arise. Pakistan cannot accept the TTP because it is

killing its people. And the Taliban

cannot let go of the TTP. This is a deep, dark pit with no way out in sight. And this pit led

to a full-scale war. In the last two weeks of February

2026, everything happened very quickly. On 16th February, The TTP attacked

a border checkpoint where 11 security

personnel and a child died. Pakistan retaliated

with airstrikes. And then the Taliban did

something unimaginable. The Taliban launched a full-scale military

offensive on the border against Pakistan. It was not a small firing. It was an organised

cross-border offensive. And Pakistan responded with

the declaration of an open war. "The Afghan-Taliban regime

has to make a clear choice. The terrorist and

terror organisations, and between Pakistan." On 27th February, Pakistan conducted airstrikes in

Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia Provinces. Taliban's brigades, headquarters,

and ammunition depots were targeted. The strikes on Kandhar were

especially significant because Kandhar is Taliban's

spiritual birthplace. Taliban's secretive leader,

Hibatullah Akhundzada lives here. Pakistan wanted to give a

clear message to the Taliban that they can directly

target Talibani leadership. Between 26th February

and 13th March, in just 15 days, 76 civilians died, 213 were injured, and more than 100,000

people had to leave their homes. And then came 16th March, the darkest day of

this entire conflict. There's a hospital near Kabul. Omid Addiction

Treatment Hospital. It was the month of Ramadan. People were

being treated inside. Some were trying

to quit the addiction. Some were with

their visiting family. There were children too. This was moments

before Pakistan's airstrike. Afghanistan claims that more than 400 people

died in this attack. 400 people. Including children. Pakistan said that it had

targeted terrorist infrastructure, not the hospital. But the photos and

videos tell the whole truth. You can see hospital

beds among the debris. You can see the medicines. And you can hear

people scream in pain. Dropping a bomb on a

hospital during Ramadan, the whole world erupted

with so much outrage that Pakistan was forced to delay

all attacks and airstrikes until Eid. This ceasefire was

only a temporary pause. On March 26, Pakistan

launched another attack. The military reality

of this war is that neither side can win nor lose. Afghanistan's army

cannot hold their grounds against Pakistan in

a conventional war. They don't have an air force and Pakistan completely

dominates their airspace. That's why Taliban

has to depend on unconventional methods

like the kamikaze drones. But Taliban sees an

opportunity in this war. It knows that if it fights Pakistan for

the sake of Afghanistan's sovereignty, they will become national

heroes to the people in Pakistan. Granting them a

layer of legitimacy. Pakistan can't do a ground

invasion successfully, because the land in Afghanistan

is made for guerrilla warfare. While the Taliban

fighters are experts at this. History confirms this. The Soviet Union tried to

invade Afghanistan for 10 years. America fought for 20 years. But both lost. According to experts, the

most likely outcome of this war would be coercive diplomacy. It will be an endless cycle

of conflict and ceasefire. Until the fundamental problem

connected to the TTP is solved, no ceasefire will last. The rarely discussed angle in this

story is perhaps the most important. Why did Pakistan

fund the Taliban? For strategic

depth against India. To turn Afghanistan into

a buffer zone against India. This was the foundation of

Pakistan's Afghanistan policy. But now let's see the reality. The Taliban that Pakistan

erected as a weapon against India, is now signing trade

agreements with India. Indian companies are being

awarded construction contracts. Infrastructure

projects are being built. And Taliban has started considering

India as an important partner. Pakistan created the Taliban. The Taliban gave

shelter to the TTP. The TTP attacked Pakistan. And now Pakistan is trying

to put out the fire it once lit, by setting Afghanistan on fire. The question remains, will Pakistan

be able to put out the fire it lit? How many innocent people

will need to lose their lives? Friends, what do you think? Let me know in the

comments below. And if you want to know more

about the history of the Taliban, then click here to watch this

video and learn more about it. And don't forget to

join AI Masterclass 3.0, use this link here. Thank you very much!