Pakistan launches airstrikes on Afghan capital, two provinces, Kabul says

Pakistan launched extensive airstrikes early Friday targeting military positions in Afghanistan's capital Kabul and two provinces, dramatically escalating cross-border tensions following days of retaliatory clashes. Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the strikes, reporting multiple large-scale explosions in Kabul around 2:30 a.m. local time, though he stated no casualties had been recorded.

Conflicting Casualty Figures

Afghanistan's Defense Ministry reported at least eight Afghan soldiers killed in Thursday's border clashes, claiming 55 Pakistani soldiers were also killed—a figure Islamabad disputed, confirming only two of its own losses. Pakistan subsequently announced an end to four-hour "retaliatory operations" at midnight Thursday against Pakistani positions along the Durand Line, but the situation rapidly escalated anew.

Pakistan's Claims of Success

Mosharraf Zaidi, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's spokesperson for foreign media, said counterstrikes against targets in Afghanistan were ongoing as of early Friday. He claimed 133 Afghan soldiers had been killed and more than 200 wounded, with additional casualties expected following strikes on military targets in Kabul, Paktia, and Kandahar provinces. Zaidi asserted that 27 Afghan military posts had been destroyed and nine captured, along with multiple military facilities including two corps headquarters, three brigade headquarters, ammunition depots, a logistics base, and more than 80 tanks, artillery systems, and armored vehicles. Anadolu could not independently verify claims from either side.

Political Accusations

Pakistan's Defense Minister Asif Khawaja alleged that the Afghan government had "turned Afghanistan into a colony of India" since NATO forces withdrew in 2021, accusing Kabul of "exporting terrorism" while depriving its own people of basic human rights. The Afghan government had not yet responded to Khawaja's statement. The strikes follow Sunday's Pakistani airstrikes that Islamabad said killed 70 "terrorists," while Afghan officials and the UN reported civilian deaths—claims Pakistan denies. Relations have deteriorated as Pakistan accuses militants of operating from Afghan territory, allegations Kabul consistently rejects, even as diplomatic contacts continue amid efforts to ease tensions.