Kumar Bahukhandi
The Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict continues. (Photo: AFP)
Earlier, Taliban forces launched armed drone strikes targeting Pakistan’s command and control center at Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan has been dealt another blow by the Afghan Taliban. The Taliban have captured two posts along the Durand Line. Tolo News reports that forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan have captured Pakistani military posts near the fabled Durand Line in the Spin Boldak and Shorabak districts of Kandahar province.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated further when Afghan Taliban forces launched armed drone strikes targeting Pakistan’s command and control center at Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi. This incident is particularly sensitive because Nur Khan Air Base was one of the Pakistani military sites targeted by Indian forces during Operation Sindoor.
Nine months after the brief but intense four-day battle between India and Pakistan in May 2025, reconstruction work was still underway at the base. News of a new Afghan Taliban attack on the base has further jeopardized repair work, causing further damage.
The limited flights out of Dubai and Abu Dhabi took place as the US State Department urged its citizens in 13 countries, including the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, and Oman, to “depart now via commercial means due to serious safety risks.” Sweeping airspace closures and flight cancellations across the region left many fewer options for heeding the advice.
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According to the official X account of Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defense, Taliban forces carried out drone attacks on the 12th Division headquarters in Quetta and other Pakistani military sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The ministry said, “Today, the Air Force of the Ministry of National Defence conducted precise and coordinated air operations against key military installations in Pakistan. These included the Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi, the 12th Division Headquarters in Quetta (Balochistan), the Khawajai Camp in Mohmand Agency, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and several other key Pakistani military installations and command centres.”
Earlier, Taliban officials claimed to have shot down a Pakistani fighter jet over the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad. AFP news agency reported that the pilot was captured alive after parachuting from the aircraft. Locals told AFP that the pilot was taken into custody immediately after landing. This incident comes amid widespread cross-border hostility between the two countries.
On Friday, Pakistan carried out airstrikes on the Afghan capital, Kabul, and the southern city of Kandahar, home to Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. A Pakistani government spokesman said 133 Taliban fighters were killed, more than 200 wounded, and several checkpoints destroyed or captured.
(Source-AFP)
