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February 2026, Islamabad's Rawalpindi garrison. The most powerful generals in Pakistan were together in a room.
Explores Pakistan's unexpected open war against the Taliban, its origins, and the complex regional dynamics fueling the conflict.
Key Takeaways
- Pakistan's strategic depth policy backfired as the Taliban turned into a major threat.
- The TTP represents a direct internal security challenge to Pakistan, linked to the Afghan Taliban.
- Regional alliances are complex, with the Taliban protecting Pakistan's enemies.
- Military actions have escalated tensions, leading to open warfare between Pakistan and the Taliban.
- The presence of ISIS-Khorasan adds further complexity to the conflict dynamics.
What the video covers
- In February 2026, Pakistan declared open war against the Taliban, a group it had historically supported.
- The Taliban was initially empowered by Pakistan's ISI in the 1990s to create a friendly government in Afghanistan.
- After the US invasion in 2001, Pakistan publicly supported America but secretly continued backing the Taliban.
- The Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021 after the US withdrawal, surprising Pakistan.
- The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), formed by Pakistani madrasa students, opposes Pakistan's government and seeks Sharia law enforcement.
- TTP attacks have surged, causing thousands of deaths, including the 2014 Peshawar school massacre.
- Pakistan's military responded with unprecedented airstrikes on Kabul targeting TTP leadership, escalating conflict with the Afghan Taliban.
- The Afghan Taliban provides safe haven to TTP fighters, complicating Pakistan's demands for action against them.
- Taliban fears that cracking down on TTP could push fighters to ISIS-Khorasan, another dangerous militant group.
- The conflict has led to significant civilian casualties and ongoing instability in the region.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction: Pakistan declares open war on Taliban
- 00:37Historical context: Pakistan's support for Taliban
- 01:54Origins of Taliban and ISI's role
- 02:48Taliban's rise and US invasion impact
- 03:51Formation and goals of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
- 04:40TTP attacks and their impact on Pakistan
- 05:49Pakistan's military response and airstrikes on Kabul
- 07:22Taliban's dilemma and the risk of ISIS-Khorasan
- 08:40Escalation to full-scale war and ceasefire attempts
- 09:21Conclusion: Complex regional conflict and future risks
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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Watching satellite images on the screens. Roads of Kabul, TTP sites, and Taliban's ammunition depots.
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These generals were faced with a strange problem. The ones they had fostered in the past, now, they had to be stopped.
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Hello friends. On February 27, 2026, Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif said something unimaginable. He said that Pakistan's patience had run out.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Every week, more than 100 civilians are dying. About 15 people every day. Hospitals are being attacked.
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Children are dying. But the question is, why did this start? The Taliban created by Pakistan, how did it become Pakistan's biggest nightmare?
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This isn't as simple as it seems. Because not even Pakistan's generals could've expected the twist that followed.
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In 1994, a convoy passed through the dusty streets of Afghanistan. The convoy included ISI officers accompanied by a man named Mullah Omar.
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He couldn't see out of one eye, and wore a turban. He was a teacher at a small madrasa.
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The ISI officers offered him a deal. They would give him weapons, money, and the required training, and they gave him a task.
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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.
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They believed that if there could be a 'friendly government' in Afghanistan, it would give them a strategic depth against India.
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Taliban's leader Mullah Omar accepted this deal. And in response, ISI sent them oil tankers.
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A huge amount of weapons, and the religious schools in Pakistan became the recruitment centre for the Taliban.
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Within two years, in 1996, Taliban had successfully occupied Kabul. Taliban then formed the new government in Afghanistan.
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Back then, only three countries officially recognised the Taliban government. Pakistan was one of them.
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But then in 2001, the most horrific terrorist attack in the US history took place.
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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.
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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.
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"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.
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Pakistan believed that its puppets were back in power. But Pakistan hadn't calculated one thing.
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The power created out of religious fanaticism cannot be controlled for long. It plays by its own rules.
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That power had now turned on Pakistan. This is where the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan was formed.
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Short form, TTP. Also known as the Pakistani Taliban. These were the students of the ISI Madrasas.
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They fought along with the Afghan Taliban. But ever since Pakistan supported America, for America's war on terror, they were critical of Pakistan.
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TTP has only one purpose. To overthrow Pakistan's elected government in order to implement the Sharia law.
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The United Nations has declared it a terrorist organisation. And to achieve this purpose, the TTP has caused a lot of bloodshed in Pakistan.
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For example, December 2014. Imagine, Peshawar's Army Public School. At 10 in the morning. Students sitting in their classrooms.
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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.
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And then, the loud bangs of gunshots could be heard. The TTP terrorists went to each classroom and fired bullets.
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132 children were killed. 132 children between the ages of 8 and 18. The teachers tried to save the children.
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One of the teachers, Tahira Qazi, was shot trying to shield the students. 149 people were killed that day.
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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.
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In 2024, 2,236 people died in terrorism-related incidents in Pakistan. Whereas in 2025, this number increased to 4,001.
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Almost double. This is so concerning that Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir called the TTP a fundamental enemy.
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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.
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Think about how strange it is, Pakistan's biggest enemy is being protected by Pakistan's oldest friend.
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It's just like what Pakistan did to America, by giving refuge to Osama Bin Laden.
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Taliban is doing the same to Pakistan. Friends, before we move ahead, I have a quick update for you.
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Now, let's get back to our topic. 8th October, 2025. TTP ambushed a convoy of the Pakistan Army in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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11 Pakistani soldiers were killed. Pakistan responded to it by doing something it had never done before.
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It carried out direct airstrikes on Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Their target was the TTP chief, Noor Wali Mehsud. He lived in Kabul.
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Noor Wali survived this strike, but this brought Pakistan and Afghan Taliban into combat. The Taliban government attacked the Pakistani military installations in response.
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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.
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But this ceasefire was an illusion, friends. A bigger war was yet to come. Pakistan had a simple demand.
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It wanted Taliban to take strict action against the TTP. But Taliban didn't do that.
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And this became the most complicated part of this whole conflict. Most people don't know this.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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It is Taliban's biggest rival. And the Taliban is afraid that once TTP is gone, its members will join this group.
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Instead of solving the problem, two new problems will arise. Pakistan cannot a
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And the Taliban cannot let go of the TTP. This is a deep, dark pit with no way out in sight.
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And this pit led to a full-scale war. In the last two weeks of February 2026, everything happened very quickly.
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On 16th February, The TTP attacked a border checkpoint where 11 security personnel and a child died.
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Pakistan retaliated with airstrikes. And then the Taliban did something unimaginable. The Taliban launched a full-scale military offensive on the border against Pakistan.
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It was not a small firing. It was an organised cross-border offensive. And Pakistan responded with the declaration of an open war.
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"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.
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Taliban's brigades, headquarters, and ammunition depots were targeted. The strikes on Kandhar were especially significant because Kandhar is Taliban's spiritual birthplace.
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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.
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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.
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And then came 16th March, the darkest day of this entire conflict. There's a hospital near Kabul.
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Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital. It was the month of Ramadan. People were being treated inside.
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Some were trying to quit the addiction. Some were with their visiting family. There were children too.
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This was moments before Pakistan's airstrike. Afghanistan claims that more than 400 people died in this attack.
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400 people. Including children. Pakistan said that it had targeted terrorist infrastructure, not the hospital.
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But the photos and videos tell the whole truth. You can see hospital beds among the debris.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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That's why Taliban has to depend on unconventional methods like the kamikaze drones. But Taliban sees an opportunity in this war.
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It knows that if it fights Pakistan for the sake of Afghanistan's sovereignty, they will become national heroes to the people in Pakistan.
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Granting them a layer of legitimacy. Pakistan can't do a ground invasion successfully, because the land in Afghanistan is made for guerrilla warfare.
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While the Taliban fighters are experts at this. History confirms this. The Soviet Union tried to invade Afghanistan for 10 years.
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America fought for 20 years. But both lost. According to experts, the most likely outcome of this war would be coercive diplomacy.
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It will be an endless cycle of conflict and ceasefire. Until the fundamental problem connected to the TTP is solved, no ceasefire will last.
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The rarely discussed angle in this story is perhaps the most important. Why did Pakistan fund the Taliban?
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For strategic depth against India. To turn Afghanistan into a buffer zone against India. This was the foundation of Pakistan's Afghanistan policy.
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But now let's see the reality. The Taliban that Pakistan erected as a weapon against India, is now signing trade agreements with India.
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Indian companies are being awarded construction contracts. Infrastructure projects are being built. And Taliban has started considering India as an important partner.
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Pakistan created the Taliban. The Taliban gave shelter to the TTP. The TTP attacked Pakistan.
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And now Pakistan is trying to put out the fire it once lit, by setting Afghanistan on fire.
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The question remains, will Pakistan be able to put out the fire it lit? How many innocent people will need to lose their lives?
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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.
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And don't forget to join AI Masterclass 3.0, use this link here. Thank you very much!
Topics:PakistanTalibanTehreek-e-Taliban PakistanTTPAfghanistanISIterrorismPakistan Taliban conflictISIS-KhorasanPakistani military
