NEW DELHI: Dozens of people have been killed in airstrikes and ground fighting between South Asian neighbors Pakistan and Afghanistan this month — their deadliest confrontation since the Afghan Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.
As the two neighbors seek to resolve the crisis during a 48-hour ceasefire that began at 1300 GMT on Wednesday, here is a look at how their military forces and arsenals compare, according to data from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Pakistan’s armed forces benefit from good recruitment and retention, bolstered by equipment from its main defense partner China. Islamabad continues to invest in its military nuclear programs and is also modernizing its navy and air force.
The capability of the Afghan Taliban’s armed forces, meanwhile, is declining, with a fall in their ability to use foreign equipment that the group seized when it returned to power in the landlocked country in 2021.
A lack of international recognition for the Taliban administration has also hurt military modernization.
