![Taliban security personnel stand guard near the Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan in Nangarhar province on February 27, 2026 [Aimal Zahir/AFP]](https://images.financialexpressdigital.com/2026/02/Financial-express-80.jpg?w=1600 "Taliban security personnel stand guard near the Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan in Nangarhar province on February 27, 2026 [Aimal Zahir/AFP]")
Cross-border fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan has escalated dramatically with both sides claiming heavy losses and the Pakistani defence minister saying his country was in an “open war” with its neighbour. Tensions have been high between the neighbors since October, when border clashes left dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants dead on both sides.
Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring militant groups that stage attacks across the border and also of allying with India. Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us,” Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said in an X post. There was no immediate reaction from Afghan officials.
As tenson persist, a military comparison between the two countries reflects a vast disparity in conventional power. While Pakistan has a nuclear-armed, structured military, Afghanistan’s Taliban-controlled forces rely largely on captured equipment and unconventional tactics.
It may be noted that while Pakistan’s armed forces are bolstered by equipment from its main defence partner China, Islamabad continues to invest in its military nuclear programmes and is also modernising its navy and air force.
On the other hand, the Afghan Taliban’s armed forces largely rely on foreign equipment that the Islamist group seized when it returned to power in 2021.
Personnel
Pakistan has 660,000 active personnel in its defence forces, a majority of whom (560,000) are in the army. As per reports, the Pakistan Air Force has 70,000 personnel followed by 30,000 in the navy.
Meanwhile, the Afghan Taliban military is reported to have 172,000 active personnel. The group has, however, announced plans to increase the number of personnel to 200,000 personnel.
Armoured fighting vehicles
According to data from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, Pakistan has around 6,000 armoured fighting vehicles, and over 4,600 pieces of artillery.
Though the exact number of armoured fighting vehicles with Afghanistan is not public, the Taliban government is learnt to possess Soviet-era main battle tanks, armoured personnel carriers and autonomous underwater vehicles that it seized during wars.
Air Force
Pakistan also has a formidable air power, with a fleet of 465 combat aircraft and more than 260 helicopters multi-role, attack and transport helicopters.
Though Afghanistan has no real air force, it is reported to possess at least six Soviet-era aircraft and 23 helicopters. It is however not clear how many of them are in flying condition.
Nuclear arsenal
While Pakistan is the only nuclear-armed Islamic country with 170 warheads, Afghanistan does not have a nuclear arsenal.