Afghanistan’s Taliban says open to talks after Pakistan bombs major cities

Al JazeeraCenterEN 3 min read 100% complete by Adam HancockFebruary 28, 2026 at 12:05 AM

Afghanistan’s Taliban says open to talks after Pakistan bombs major cities

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AI Summary

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Following months of escalating tensions and clashes, Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan, including Kabul and Kandahar, leading Pakistan's defense minister to declare "open war." The Taliban government in Afghanistan responded by expressing a willingness to negotiate with Pakistan to end the violence. This recent escalation was triggered by Pakistani air strikes on Afghan territory, which Pakistan claims targeted Pakistani Taliban fighters, followed by retaliatory attacks from Afghanistan. Both sides report inflicting heavy losses on the other. The Taliban maintains that they are open to resolving the conflict through dialogue.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Paktika 30% Khost 30% Islamabad 40% Paktia ×240% Khawaja Asif 50% Zabihullah Mujahid ×260% Kandahar ×260% Kabul ×260% Afghanistan ×980% Pakistan ×1390% Taliban ×890%

Keywords

taliban 90% pakistan 90% afghanistan 90% air strikes 70% negotiations 70% border clashes 60% open war 60% violence 50% heavy losses 50% dialogue 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Pakistan

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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taliban pakistan afghanistan air strikes negotiations border clashes open war violence heavy losses dialogue

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