Afghanistan’s Kabul Attacked by Pakistani Air Power, Escalating Tensions

Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, faced an attack by Pakistani air power at 5:40 a.m. local time on Sunday, leading to explosions and the Afghan air defense forces responding with fire. The airstrikes continued for about 20 minutes. Military tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been rising, with multiple rounds of exchange of fire recently. Three Afghan returnees lost their lives and seven were injured in a strike on a temporary camp in Kandahar province by Pakistani forces, as reported by the Afghan government’s deputy spokesman, Hamdullah Fitrat. Pakistani forces also allegedly sent a pilotless aircraft that crashed in eastern Afghanistan’s Khost province, according to an Afghan official. Fitrat mentioned that Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan have resulted in 52 deaths and 66 injuries across various provinces, including Nangarhar, Paktika, Khost, Kunar, and Kandahar. In a significant development, Afghan forces shot down a Pakistani fighter jet in Nangarhar province, capturing the pilot alive, as confirmed by provincial police chief Mohibullah Hamas. The captured pilot is currently in police custody, as stated by Sayed Tayeb Hemad, spokesman for Nangarhar provincial police.