To understand why Pakistan is currently fighting the groups it once supported, you have to look at the "Tangled Web" of South Asian politics. In 2026, the situation has shifted from a secret alliance to a violent border conflict.
The Two Talibans
The most important thing to know is that there isn't just one "Taliban." There are two main groups that share the same name and religious ideas but have very different goals:
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The Afghan Taliban (The "Old Friends"): This is the group that now runs the government in Afghanistan. For 20 years, Pakistan’s intelligence agency (the ISI) supported them because they wanted a friendly government in Kabul that would keep India's influence out of Afghanistan.
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The TTP / Pakistani Taliban (The "New Enemy"): This group lives in the mountains between the two countries. Their goal is to overthrow the Pakistani government and replace it with their own version of religious law.Â
The "Backfire" Effect
Pakistan’s strategy was based on a big gamble: they thought that if the Afghan Taliban took over Afghanistan, they would help Pakistan stop the TTP.
Instead, the opposite happened. Since the Afghan Taliban took Kabul in 2021, the TTP has become stronger. They now use Afghanistan as a "safe zone" to hide, plan attacks, and then cross the border back into Pakistan to target soldiers and police.
3 Reasons for the 2026 Conflict
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Broken Promises: Pakistan feels betrayed. They helped the Afghan Taliban win, but now the Afghan Taliban refuses to kick the TTP out. The Afghan Taliban says, "The TTP helped us fight the Americans, so we won't turn against our brothers."
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The Border Dispute: There is a line on the map called the Durand Line that separates the two countries. Pakistan wants it to be a hard, fenced border. Both the Afghan Taliban and the TTP refuse to recognize it, leading to "border skirmishes" (mini-battles) between the two national armies.
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Economic Pressure: Pakistan is going through a tough financial time. They can no longer afford the constant terror attacks on their cities and Chinese-funded construction projects. To protect their economy, the Pakistani military has started launching airstrikes inside Afghanistan to hit TTP camps, which makes the Afghan government furious.
Current Intel Status: January 2026
As of early 2026, the relationship has officially "soured." Pakistan has gone from being the Taliban's biggest supporter to its most dangerous neighbor. In late 2025 and early 2026, we’ve seen:
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Retaliatory Strikes: Pakistan bombing targets in Kabul and eastern Afghanistan.Â
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Border Closures: Trade being shut down at major crossings like Torkham, hurting both economies.
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Diplomatic Cold War: Pakistan now refers to the Kabul government as a "regime" rather than a friendly neighbor.
Bottom Line: Pakistan tried to use a "fire" (the Taliban) to keep its house warm, but now that fire is spreading and burning the house down.
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