Event: Afghan

The United States said it supported ‌Pakistan’s “right to defend itself” against attacks from ​Afghanistan. File picture | Photo Credit:  AP The United States said on Friday (February 27, 2026) it supported ‌Pakistan’s “right to defend itself” against attacks from ​Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers after Islamabad said earlier ⁠in the day that the neighbouring countries were in “open war.”Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers had said on Friday they ‌were willing to negotiate after Pakistan bombed their forces in major cities.“The United States ‌supports Pakistan’s right to defend itself against ‌attacks ⁠from the Taliban, a Specially Designated Global ⁠Terrorist group,” a State Department spokesperson said in an emailed statement.Pakistan is nuclear-armed and its military capabilities are vastly superior ​to Afghanistan’s. However, ‌the Taliban are adept at guerrilla warfare, hardened by decades of fighting with U.S.-led forces, before returning to power in 2021 when Washington withdrew ‌chaotically.Pakistan is a major non-NATO ally of ​Washington. The U.S. considers the Afghan Taliban to be a “terrorist” group.The latest violence ⁠erupted after Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan territory last weekend triggered Afghan retaliatory attacks along the border ‌on Thursday, escalating long-simmering tensions over Pakistan’s claim that Afghanistan shelters Pakistani Taliban militants. Afghanistan denies this and argues Pakistan is deflecting blame for its own security failures.The State Department spokesperson said Washington was aware of the escalation in ‌tensions and “outbreak of fighting between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban,” ​adding the U.S. was “saddened by the loss of life.”Both sides reported heavy losses ⁠in the fighting, which Pakistan’s Defense Minister Minister Khawaja ⁠Muhammad Asif said amounted to an “open war”.“The Taliban have consistently failed to uphold ‌their counterterrorism commitments,” the State Department said, adding that “terrorist groups use Afghanistan as a launching pad ​for their heinous attacks.” Published - February 28, 2026 04:59 am IST

Pakistan has been the Afghan Taliban’s closest friend for decades. It was Islamabad ⁠that helped give birth to the Taliban in the ⁠early 1990s – as a way to give Pakistan “strategic depth” in its ⁠rivalry with India. What’s gone wrong?Pakistan carried out air strikes on Afghanistan’s major cities overnight, officials in Islamabad and Kabul said on Friday, escalating months of border clashes between the Islamic neighbours. The air and ground strikes, which hit Taliban military posts, headquarters and ammunition depots in multiple sectors along the border, came after Afghanistan launched an attack on Pakistani border forces, the officials said.Both sides reported heavy losses in the fighting, which Pakistan’s defence minister said amounted to an “open ‌war”. Tensions have been heating up since Pakistan launched air strikes on militant targets in Afghanistan last weekend.Earlier, border clashes between the two countries killed dozens of soldiers in October until negotiations facilitated by Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia ceased the hostilities and a fragile ceasefire was put in place.The escalating conflict is a long way from Islamabad’s historic support for the Taliban. The key questions:Why are the neighbours now at odds?Pakistan welcomed the return to power of the Taliban in 2021, with then-prime minister Imran Khan saying that Afghans had “broken the shackles of slavery”.

The Taliban said their leaders are willing to negotiate with Pakistan as both sides claim to inflict heavy losses on their opponents in fighting.Afghanistan’s Taliban leaders said they were willing to negotiate after Pakistan bombed a number of major cities, with Islamabad’s defence minister declaring the neighbours in “open war”, following months of tensions and tit-for-tat clashes.Pakistan struck the Afghan capital Kabul and the city of Kandahar, where Taliban leaders are based, as well as other towns, on Friday, with fighting also continuing along the border. Both sides have reported heavy losses.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Pakistan claims at least 70 fighters killed in strikes along Afghan borderlist 2 of 4Afghanistan bombing: What’s Pakistan’s strategy as India-Taliban ties grow?list 3 of 4New Afghan, Pakistani border clashes follow deadly strikeslist 4 of 4World reacts to eruption of fighting between Pakistan, Afghanistanend of listPakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif declared an “all-out confrontation” with the Taliban government, posting on X: “Now it is open war between us and you.”Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the Taliban’s leaders were ready to negotiate with Pakistan in order to bring an end to the violence.“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has always tried to resolve issues through dialogue, and now also we want to resolve this matter through dialogue,” said Mujahid.The latest violence erupted after Pakistan’s air strikes on Afghan territory last weekend triggered Afghan retaliatory attacks along the border on Thursday, escalating long‑simmering tensions over Pakistan’s claim that Afghanistan shelters Pakistan Taliban fighters. Afghanistan denies this.Mujahid said Pakistani strikes hit parts of Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia on Thursday night, and on Paktia, Paktika, Khost and Laghman on Friday.That followed Afghan drone strikes that began late on Thursday on Pakistani military positions and installations in northwest Pakistan along their shared border.Pakistan’s army spokesperson, Lieutenant…

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.What to Know About the Clashes Between Pakistan and AfghanistanThe renewed violence between the neighboring countries stems from Pakistan’s accusations that Afghanistan’s Taliban government has harbored a militant group.Taliban security personnel handling an antiaircraft gun in Afghanistan’s Khost Province on Friday.Credit...Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesFeb. 27, 2026Updated 2:56 p.m. ETAfghanistan and Pakistan are clashing openly again over a militant group that has attacked Pakistani security forces and civilians across their shared border.Pakistan launched airstrikes across Afghanistan on Friday that hit military installations in Kabul, the capital, and Kandahar, the southern city that is home to the supreme leader of the ruling Taliban, Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada.Months of tension and border skirmishes preceded the airstrikes on Friday. Hours before the strikes, Afghan troops attacked Pakistani border positions in what Afghanistan said was retaliation for Pakistani strikes earlier in the week.How significant are the latest attacks?The attacks on Afghanistan’s two largest cities were the heaviest launched by Pakistan since it agreed to a cease-fire with the Taliban government in October, after weeks of fighting that killed dozens of people and injured hundreds.In the past, Pakistan said it had attacked militants’ positions but not government forces. This time, it targeted Afghanistan’s military infrastructure, aiming to deal a direct blow to the Taliban administration. An ammunition depot in Kabul was struck. Before After Source: Satellite images from Airbus on Jan. 8 and Feb. 27. Agnes Chang/The New York Times Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log…

Days after the Taliban swept to power in 2021, Pakistan’s then spymaster appeared in Kabul on what looked to many like a victory lap. Sipping tea in the lobby of the Afghan capital’s fanciest hotel, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed told reporters: “Don’t worry, everything will be OK.”This week it became clear just how badly Pakistan had miscalculated how it could rely on the Taliban, as Islamabad unleashed airstrikes in Afghanistan and troops from both countries fought each other on the border.Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, said patience had finally run out after calling repeatedly on the Taliban to stop Pakistani militants from using Afghan territory as a sanctuary from which to attack.Pakistan’s predicament is the mirror opposite of accusations made by the US-led international coalition in Afghanistan against Pakistan before 2021: that the Taliban were being allowed to use Pakistan as a safe haven.“This is blowback, big time,” said Kamran Bokhari, a senior director at the Washington-based New Lines Institute thinktank. “If you support proxies who challenge your own national identity and your national narrative, they don’t think that you’re ideologically legitimate, then it is only a matter of time before they turn their guns on you.”In 2011, Hillary Clinton as US secretary of state had put it bluntly when visiting Pakistan: “You can’t keep snakes in your back yard and expect them only to bite your neighbours.”Bokhari said Afghanistan was not Pakistan’s only problem on its western flank, with a weakening Iran set to ignite trouble on that border, and Tehran no longer in a position to help Pakistan manage the Taliban.The Taliban deny that their territory is being used against Pakistan and on Friday they again implored Islamabad to enter into negotiations with the militant group behind many of the attacks, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).The TTP…

NewsFeedResidents of Kabul, Afghanistan are cleaning up broken glass and describing how they tried to run to safety when Pakistan attacked in the middle of the night. Meanwhile in Karachi, Pakistan, people are celebrating the offensive as a “positive development”.Published On 27 Feb 2026

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.The airstrikes came hours after Afghan troops had attacked Pakistani border positions and follow months of worsening relations between the neighboring countries.VideoPakistan Launches Airstrikes on AfghanistanTensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan escalated on Friday as the two countries clashed.CreditCredit...Wahidullah Kakar/Associated PressPublished Feb. 26, 2026Updated Feb. 27, 2026, 11:28 a.m. ETPakistan and Afghanistan engaged in their fiercest clashes in years on Friday, according to officials from both nations, escalating months of tension and border skirmishes into an open conflict. Afghan troops stormed dozens of Pakistani border positions and Pakistan responded with a wave of airstrikes targeting major cities and military hubs.Beyond Kabul, home to six million people, the strikes hit the southern city of Kandahar — where the Taliban’s supreme leader, Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada, lives — and four border provinces, according to Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the Pakistani military spokesman.“That’s what has been done so far,” General Sharif said at a news briefing on Friday. “This is continuing.”Pakistan launched strikes on more than 20 locations, General Sharif said, hours after Afghan troops had attacked more than 50 Pakistani border positions. Afghan officials described that assault as retaliation for Pakistani strikes earlier in the week.“Our operation last night was a retaliatory operation and a response to Pakistan’s operation, not an attack to start a war against Pakistan,” Zabiullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, said at a news conference in Kandahar on Friday. An ammunition depot in Kabul was struck. Before After Source: Satellite images from Airbus on Jan. 8 and Feb. 27. Agnes Chang/The New York Times Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your…

Pakistan has bombed major cities in Afghanistan including the capital, Kabul, with Islamabad’s defence minister declaring that the hostile neighbours were in a state of “open war” as a cycle of retaliatory attacks escalated further.Witnesses in Kabul and Kandahar, the southern Afghan city, reported explosions and jets overhead until dawn, while the Taliban government said later that Pakistani surveillance aircraft were still flying over Afghanistan.The wave of attacks came after Afghan forces attacked Pakistani border troops on Thursday night following earlier airstrikes by Islamabad.The operation was Pakistan’s most widespread bombardment of the Afghan capital and its first airstrikes on Kandahar, the southern power base of the Taliban movement, which returned to power in 2021.Pakistan bombs Kabul in latest escalation with Afghanistan – videoAfghan authorities in the eastern Nangarhar province said on Friday morning that fighting was continuing in the Torkham border area. The province’s information directorate said that Pakistani mortar fire hit civilian areas, including a refugee camp. In response, Afghanistan was targeting Pakistani army posts across the border, it said. Dozens of casualties were reported, with at least 12 people killed.Tensions have been high between Pakistan and Afghanistan for months, with border clashes in October killing dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants.Pakistan accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of harbouring militant groups that stage attacks across the border and of allying with its historic enemy and regional rival, India.A Qatari-mediated ceasefire ended the fighting last year but several rounds of peace talks in Istanbul in November failed to produce a formal agreement.On Thursday at about 8pm, Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack on Pakistan, saying it was in retaliation for deadly Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas on Sunday. Hours later, Pakistan bombed Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul and two other provinces on Friday, hours after a cross-border attack.A man reads about…

What we know so far Pakistan’s defence minister declared an “open war” with the Taliban government in Afghanistan, in a major escalation between the neighbouring countries. Pakistan launched airstrikes last night on major Afghan cities including the capital Kabul in response to what it called “unprovoked firing” from across the border. Afghan officials said it attacked Pakistani border troops in retaliation for earlier airstrikes by Islamabad. Both sides claimed to have inflicted heavy casualties on each other, but the true numbers remain unclear. Afghanistan is also claiming to have captured several Pakistan soldiers which Islamabad denies. It marks a major escalation since a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey halted deadly clashes in October. Negotiations since then have failed to produce a lasting agreement. Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan – which shares a 1,600-mile long disputed Durand Line – has wavered between cautious diplomacy to open hostility. Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of harbouring Pakistan Taliban (TTP) militants who launch attacks against Pakistan from the border. Analysts say the latest violence is the first time Pakistan has directly targeted sites of the Taliban government rather than only alleged TTP positions. Key events12h agoClosing summary12h agoWhat to know about the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan13h agoOperation continuing on the directions of PM, says Pakistan army13h agoPakistani army claims 274 Taliban fighters killed13h agoDozen soldiers killed in Pakistan, army spokesperson says13h agoAfghanstan wants fighting to be 'resolved through dialogue', says Taliban spokesman14h agoCasualty numbers remain unclear14h agoYvette Cooper urges both sides to de-escalate14h agoWhat we know so far15h agoWhat is the Pakistan Taliban?15h agoAfghanistan claims its drones hit Pakistan targets16h agoCountries call for calm and restraint16h agoOpening summaryShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureClosing summary Pakistan’s defence minister declared an…

Yogita LimayeSouth Asia and Afghanistan correspondentWatch: Pakistan releases footage it claims shows strikes on KabulResidents of Kabul's District 6 were awakened abruptly on Thursday night by the sound of an explosion that shook their homes. They rushed out in the street and heard jets flying overhead.It was a night that saw a serious escalation in violence between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with Pakistan launching airstrikes in Afghanistan - including its capital city, Kabul. Other places struck were in Paktia and Kandahar provinces, the latter a stronghold and the birthplace of the Taliban movement.Hostilities between the two sides have been ongoing for months, yet the answer to who started the aggression depends on who you ask.Earlier in the night, Afghanistan's Taliban government said it had launched a major ground operation against Pakistani military positions near the border, claiming to have captured several posts, and also claiming to have captured and killed Pakistani soldiers. The Taliban government says they were "retaliatory operations" - a response after "Pakistani military elements carried out an incursion into Afghan territory, violated Afghan sovereignty, and caused the deaths of several civilians, including women and children".They were referring to an earlier round of Pakistani airstrikes carried out less than a week ago - on the night of 21 February - targeting the eastern Nangarhar and Paktika provinces. The United Nations has said it has credible reports that 13 Afghan civilians were killed in those strikes.AFP via Getty ImagesThis latest escalation comes days after Pakistan carried out air strikes inside Afghanistan following suicide blasts on its soil (file photo)Islamabad has a different view. It says its airstrikes have not targeted civilians but instead have targeted militant hideouts in Afghanistan, specifically those of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or the Pakistani Taliban, which Pakistan's government refers to as Fitna al Khawarij.Pakistan also…

AFP via Getty ImagesA tank was pictured situated near the border in Chaman, Pakistan on Friday.Pakistan's defence minister has said the country is in "open war" with Afghanistan, after Islamabad launched airstrikes on Kabul as part of a wave of attacks across the country."Our patience has now run out," said Khawaja Muhammad Asif following the attacks.The strikes came after the Afghan Taliban announced a major offensive against Pakistani military posts near the border on Thursday night.The latest attacks follow months of clashes between the two neighbouring nations, despite agreeing to a fragile ceasefire in October.Last year's negotiations failed to reach a broader agreement for a complete end to hostilities, with both side blaming each other for not engaging seriously with talks.The Taliban said a "retaliatory operation" had been launched at around 20:00 local time (15:30 GMT) on Thursday.It said it had captured 19 Pakistani military posts and two bases, adding that 55 Pakistani soldiers had been killed. The BBC has not been able to verify these claims.Pakistan quickly retaliated, saying the Taliban had "miscalculated and opened unprovoked fire on multiple locations" across the border in its north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which had been met with an "immediate and effective response" by Islamabad's security forces.It then launched a series of bombing raids on Afghanistan in the early hours of Friday morning, striking targets in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktika in response to what they called "unprovoked Afghan attacks".All three cities are close to the shared Pakistani-Afghan mountainous border that spans 2,600 km (1,615 miles).Pakistan's military spokesman Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said it had hit 22 Afghan military targets and killed more that 200 Taliban fighters. At least 12 Pakistani soldiers had died, he added.But the Taliban's spokesman Mujahid said just 13 Taliban fighters had been killed and 22 others injured, while 13…

“Our patience has run out”, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif wrote in a social media post on Friday (February 27, 2026). “Now it is open war between us and you.” Mr. Asif’s remarks came after Pakistan carried out air strikes on Kabul and Kandahar, Afghanistan’s two largest cities, and Paktia, a border province. The strikes were launched hours after Afghan troops attacked Pakistani border posts. Those attacks, in turn, followed earlier Pakistani strikes this week, which Islamabad claimed were carried out in retaliation for recent terror attacks inside its territory.These incidents, along with the allegations and counter-allegations, underscore the increasingly combustible nature of relations between Islamabad and Kabul. Until a few years ago, Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban were close allies. The Taliban’s top leadership was based in Pakistan’s Quetta while it fought U.S. troops and the previous Afghan government. But four years after the Taliban captured Kabul and established its Islamic Emirate, the former allies have become bitter adversaries. What went wrong between Islamabad and the Taliban?When the Taliban were an insurgent movement, they relied on Pakistan’s support to sustain their fight against U.S. forces and the U.S.-backed Islamic Republic government in Kabul. Pakistan, wary of India’s growing influence in Afghanistan, viewed the Taliban, a long-time ally, as a vehicle for extending its influence in the neighbourhood. When the Taliban captured Kabul in August 2021, then Prime Minister Imran Khan famously declared that Afghans had finally “broken the shackles of slavery”. Pakistan believed the Taliban’s return to power would restore its “strategic depth” in South-Central Asia. But the Taliban’s rise reshaped regional dynamics, defying Pakistan’s calculations. Islamabad-Rawalpindi soon found itself confronting three distinct challenges. People read morning newspapers covering the headline story about the overnight cross border fighting between Pakistan and Afghan forces, at a stall in Peshawar, Pakistan,…

VideosPakistan launched airstrikes on Kabul and Kandahar, sharply escalating tensions with Afghanistan’s Taliban government. The Taliban confirmed the strikes but denied casualties, even as border clashes intensified. Pakistan’s Defence Minister called it “open war”, drawing strong regional reactions from Iran and China. Published - February 27, 2026 04:19 pm IST

Pakistan said on Friday that it had killed 228 Taliban fighters in a series of air strikes on Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Multiple locations in Kabul were bombed by Pakistan after what Islamabad described as an unprovoked attack by the Taliban across different parts of the border between the two countries. Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar posted on X: “Afghan Taliban defence targets were targeted in Kabul, Paktia [province] and Kandahar.” A Taliban spokesperson confirmed that Pakistan’s jets attacked Kabul, Paktia and Kandahar in Afghanistan, adding that 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 19 military posts seized. Gunfire and shelling have been reported near the key Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the AFP news agency reported. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The report said that shelling was heard near the crossing on Friday morning. AFP reported Afghan soldiers were heading towards the frontier. Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities of sheltering Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan fighters responsible for attacks inside Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies. The dispute has fuelled recurring border clashes, air strikes and periodic closures at the Torkham crossing, alongside tensions over the presence of millions of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, many of whom Islamabad has sought to repatriate. Build-up of tensions Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities said they had launched attacks against Pakistan’s military positions in response to Pakistani air strikes last week. Armed forces of both countries exchanged fire along their border, with each claiming to have inflicted casualties. The development comes after days of escalating hostilities, as relations between the countries have been on the decline for months. “In response ‌to repeated provocations and violations by Pakistani military circles, large-scale offensive operations have been launched ⁠against Pakistani…

Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan, including the capital Kabul, on Friday (February 27, 2026), with Islamabad's Defence Minister declaring the neighbours at "open war" following months of tit-for-tat clashes.AFP journalists in Kabul and Kandahar heard blasts and jets overhead, as Pakistan launched air strikes on the Afghan capital and southern power base of the Taliban authorities.Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict LIVE: Pakistan says it has killed over 130 Afghan Taliban fighters in Operation Ghazab lil HaqPakistan's latest operation came after Afghan forces attacked Pakistani border troops on Thursday (February 26, 2026) night over earlier air strikes by Islamabad.Relations between the neighbours have plunged in recent months, with land border crossings largely shut since deadly fighting in October that killed more than 70 people on both sides.Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of failing to act against militant groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan, which the Taliban government denies.Several rounds of negotiations followed an initial ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey, but the efforts have failed to produce a lasting agreement.Both militaries said they killed dozens of soldiers in the latest round of border violence, which followed multiple Pakistani strikes on Afghanistan and clashes along the frontier in recent months."Afghan Taliban defence targets were targeted in Kabul, Paktia [province] and Kandahar," Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar posted on X, while Defence Minister Khawaja Asif declared an "all-out confrontation" with the Taliban government."Our patience has reached its limit. Now it is open war between us and you," he posted on the social media platform.Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country's armed forces can "have the full capability to crush any aggressive ambitions".Jets overheadIn the Afghan capital AFP journalists heard jets and multiple loud blasts, followed by gunfire, over a period of several hours.An AFP reporter in Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar, where Supreme Leader Hibatullah…

Pakistan bombed Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul and two other provinces on Friday, hours after a cross-border attack, the latest escalation of deadly violence between the volatile neighbours who signed a Qatar-mediated ceasefire in 2025.Following months of tit-for-tat clashes, Afghan forces attacked Pakistani border troops on Thursday night in what the Taliban government said was retaliation for earlier deadly airstrikes.Hours later, at least three explosions were heard in Kabul, with both sides making different claims about the number of casualties and sites hit.Pakistan’s federal minister for information and broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, claimed the strikes on Friday in Kabul, Paktia, and Kandahar killed 133 Afghan Taliban officials and wounded more than 200, with further possible casualties.Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said Friday that his country’s armed forces could “crush” aggressors, while the country’s defence minister has proclaimed “open war”.In a post on X Friday, defence minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said that Pakistan had hoped for peace in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of Nato forces and expected the Taliban to focus on the welfare of the Afghan people and regional stability.Instead, he alleged, the Taliban had gathered militants from around the world and begun “exporting terrorism.”“Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us,” he said.Afghanistan’s defence ministry said that 55 Pakistani soldiers had been killed in the border clashes on Thursday, with some bodies taken into Afghanistan, including several “captured alive”. It said eight Afghan soldiers were reported killed, with 11 others wounded. The ministry reported the destruction of 19 Pakistani army posts and two bases.Mosharraf Ali Zaidi, spokesperson for Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, previously denied that any Pakistani soldiers had been captured.Relations between the neighbours have plunged in recent months, with land border crossings largely shut since deadly fighting in October that killed more than 70…