Volcanoes. You can mistake them for sleeping mountains until the ground begins to tremble. The Taliban-Pakistan frontier today resembles one of those rumbling volcanoes. Since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in August 2021, the border has never truly gone quiet. It has erupted repeatedly through clashes at Spin Boldak, Chaman, Torkham, Kurram, Khost, Paktika, and other flashpoints along the Durand Line.

Pakistani fencing projects have been resisted by the Taliban in Afghanistan, border posts have triggered firefights, crossings have been closed, and civilians living near the frontier have repeatedly watched old political disputes turn into live ammunition. In October 2025, the Afghan Taliban claimed it had killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in “retaliatory” overnight border operations after accusing Pakistan of violating Afghan territory and airspace, while Islamabad disputed the figure and said 23 of its troops were killed.

The 2026 round of skirmishes marked an even sharper phase. Pakistan launched strikes inside Afghanistan, and a week later the Afghan Taliban said it had carried out overnight strikes in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, claiming to hit two Islamic State Khorasan Province bases, a claim Pakistan rejected.

The irony is striking. Pakistan, which once viewed the Taliban as a tool of “strategic depth” and helped sustain the movement during its insurgency, now finds itself facing the very regime it expected to influence. Islamabad may blame India and point to New Delhi’s growing engagement with the Taliban government in Afghanistan, but that explanation is too convenient. The real pressure beneath the surface comes from the TTP insurgency, Taliban nationalism, the unresolved Durand Line dispute, and Kabul’s refusal to behave like Pakistan’s subordinate client.

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© The Times of Israel (Blogs)