Afghanistan Releases Footage Showing Strikes On Pakistani Targets Amid Escalating Conflict
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Last Updated:February 28, 2026, 08:21 IST
Taliban-linked footage claiming strikes on Pakistani targets has surfaced online amid rapidly escalating cross-border hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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A video purportedly showing strikes on Pakistani targets has surfaced online as tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan spiral into one of the most serious confrontations between the two neighbours in recent years.
The footage, posted on social media platform X by news agency PTI citing third-party sources, has been attributed to Afghanistan’s Taliban-led Defence Ministry, which claims it depicts retaliatory military action amid the ongoing hostilities.
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The video appears to show nighttime aerial and ground strike visuals, including flashes of explosions in mountainous terrain and what are believed to be targeted attacks on Pakistani military positions.
VIDEO | Afghanistan’s Taliban-led Defence Ministry releases footage of strikes on Pakistani targets.(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/alqC13PuYD
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 27, 2026
While the authenticity and exact location of the visuals could not be independently verified, the release comes at a time of rapidly escalating cross-border fighting and competing claims from both sides over battlefield gains and casualties.
Pakistan carried out widespread aerial bombardments across Afghanistan, targeting 29 locations after what Islamabad described as a cross-border Afghan offensive.
Pakistan said the strikes were part of an “immediate and effective response to aggression," with Prime Minister’s spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi stating that the operation was ongoing.
AFP reported that the bombardment marked Pakistan’s most extensive military action inside Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, with strikes reported in Kandahar, a Taliban stronghold, as well as areas near the Afghan capital.
The Taliban government, in turn, has claimed retaliatory action against Pakistani targets, a narrative reinforced by the newly surfaced footage circulated online.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid reiterated that Afghanistan prefers dialogue but alleged that Pakistani aircraft and reconnaissance planes were operating inside Afghan airspace.
CONFLICT ROOTED IN CROSS-BORDER ATTACKS
The current escalation began after Afghan forces launched a large cross-border attack into Pakistan across multiple provinces, describing it as retaliation for earlier Pakistani airstrikes.
Islamabad had said those earlier strikes targeted militants, while Kabul maintained that civilians, including women and children, were among those killed.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif declared the confrontation an “open war," underscoring the seriousness of the crisis.
Both countries have long accused each other of allowing militant groups to operate along their porous frontier, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which Islamabad blames for a surge in attacks within its territory.
Kabul denies providing a haven to militants and insists Afghan soil is not used for attacks against other countries.
CONFLICTING CASUALTY CLAIMS
Casualty figures released by both sides remain sharply contested.
AFP reported that Taliban officials claimed Afghan forces killed 55 Pakistani soldiers and captured several others, while acknowledging that 13 Afghan troops had died.
Pakistan, however, presented dramatically different figures.
Government spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi said 297 Afghan Taliban fighters and militants had been killed in Pakistani operations, while Islamabad earlier confirmed the deaths of 12 of its own soldiers.
Afghan authorities also reported civilian casualties.
Government spokesman Hamdullayh Fitrat said at least 19 civilians were killed in Khost and Paktika provinces, according to AFP.
Independent verification of the casualty numbers has not been possible amid ongoing fighting.
An AFP journalist near the Torkham border crossing reported hearing shelling, while displacement camps housing Afghans returning from Pakistan were also affected by the violence.
Witnesses described panic as civilians fled bombardment zones, with one resident saying, “children, women, and old people were running."
INTERNATIONAL CONCERN AND DIPLOMATIC PUSH
The escalating conflict has triggered alarm globally.
Britain, the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross have called for immediate de-escalation, while diplomatic efforts involving China, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are underway to calm tensions.
The United States expressed support for Pakistan’s right to defend itself against Taliban attacks, even as other international actors urged restraint.
Allison M Hooker, the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, United States, posted on X, “We continue to monitor the situation closely", and expressed support for Pakistan’s right to defend itself against Taliban attacks.
LONGSTANDING TENSIONS RESURFACE
Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been volatile for decades despite deep social and economic ties.
Much of the tension centres on the disputed Durand Line border, which Pakistan recognises as its western frontier but Afghanistan does not formally accept.
The situation has been further strained by rising militant violence, failed peace talks, and Pakistan’s deportation campaign targeting undocumented Afghan refugees, which has affected millions in recent years.
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