Abstract
The ‘Christmas Bombings’ of 25 December 2024, saw the Pakistani Air Force unleash airstrikes on seven locations in Afghanistan’s Paktika province, targeting alleged Tehrik-e- Taliban (TTP) hideouts. The strikes were in direct retaliation against a brutal TTP assault in South Waziristan just days earlier, which claimed the lives of 16 Pakistani soldiers–the deadliest attack on Pakistan’s military in years. This latest escalation has reignited tensions along the Durand Line, a border shaped by colonial history but fractured by ethnic allegiances, militancy, and power struggles. This paper explores the historical and imperial legacy of the Durand Line, its role in shaping cultural fragmentation and Pashtun identity, and its entanglement with cross-border militancy. It delves into the region’s enduring security challenges, with a particular focus on Loya Paktia–the most volatile stretch of the border– examining how its unique demographic composition and the recent upsurge in Pashtuns’ racial profiling have made it a hotspot for conflict. The Durand Line remains more than just a boundary; it is a fault line of history, identity and enduring conflict.
Keywords: Durand Line, Afghanistan-Pakistan relations, Taliban, Pashtun identity, crossborder militancy, South Asian geopolitics, Loya Paktia, regional stability, colonial legacy, Tehrik-e-Taliban, Afghan tribals, Khost, Pashtun Tahafuz Movement.
