 "A F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet of the Pakistan Air Force")
A F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet of the Pakistan Air Force. Photo: Lockheed Martin
The escalation of the long-standing conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan to “open war” in February, heightened regional instability and hostilities between the two countries. Pakistan launched airstrikes on Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant bases in eastern Afghanistan. Pakistan accuses Taliban-led Afghanistan of sheltering the terrorist group after the United States’ (US) withdrawal from the country in 2021. This is the first time that both countries are engaged in sustained and overt military operations against each other, named as Operation Ghazab Lil Haq by Pakistan.
The conflict features a distinctive asymmetric and conventional warfare. Pakistan boasts of a technological edge with aerial power, armour, and precision artillery.
According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), remote violence, which includes airstrikes, drone attacks, and artillery shelling, has been the defining feature and the primary driver of fatalities in the ongoing crisis.
According to various reports, the Taliban has been relying on the $7.2 billion worth of US-funded military equipment it seized in 2021, which has boosted its ground strength. A Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) report verified that at least 63 advanced weapons seized from TTP militants by Pakistan belonged to the arsenal that the US gave to the former Afghan National Army. Another Sipri report noted that the Taliban is weaponising cheap Chinese commercial drone technology. They also possess modern US small arms and Soviet-era weapons, which are trafficked through black market via Iran and Central Asia.
The lead picture features the Taliban’s rocket launcher in a vehicle, which is likely a Chinese Type 63 multiple rocket launcher, near the Torkham border in Afghanistan, during the current clash.
The Taliban’s rocket launcher in a vehicle near the Torkham border in Afghanistan. Photo: Reuters
 "US Vice President JD Vance, walks with Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Charge d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad Na")
The second picture shows the Taliban soldiers operating an anti-aircraft gun, which is potentially a Soviet-era relic, to intercept Pakistan’s fighter jets in Khost province in Afghanistan on February 27.
The third one showcases a Pakistani soldier with a rifle, which is likely an indigenously-produced Heckler & Koch G3-type, at the Friendship Gate between the two countries, on February 27.
Taliban soldiers using anti-aircraft gun in Khost province, Afghanistan, on February 27, 2026. Photo: Reuters
A Pakistan Army soldier with a rifle, in Chaman, Pakistan, on February 27, 2026. Photo: Reuters
The last picture presents a F-16A/B Block Fighting Falcon, which was used by Pakistan for conducting airstrikes in Afghanistan in the current conflict.
A F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet of the Pakistan Air Force. Photo: Lockheed Martin
The ACLED has said that improvised explosive devices and suicide bombings are one of the most dominant weapons in the ongoing crisis.
The conflict remains in an extremely fragile and critical stage with renewed hostilities, despite a temporary ceasfire in March.
Written By
Jaisal Kaur
Jaisal Kaur
First Published: May 10 2026 | 8:41 AM IST
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