Afghanistan Launches Deep Retaliatory Strikes on Pakistani Army Sites Near Islamabad & Abbottabad Amid Escalating 'Open War'

The Afghan Ministry of National Defense (MoD) announced today that its Air Force conducted retaliatory airstrikes on several Pakistani military targets, marking a dramatic escalation in the ongoing border conflict between the two nations.

According to a statement from the Afghan MoD, the strikes took place around 11:00 AM local time and successfully targeted key Pakistani army positions and installations. The operations hit a military camp near Faizabad city in Islamabad, an army cantonment in Nowshera, the Jamrud military colony, targets in Abbottabad.

The MoD described the strikes as precise and effective against important military centers, camps, and facilities belonging to the Pakistani army. Afghan officials framed the action as a direct response to Pakistani airstrikes carried out overnight on Afghan cities and provinces, including the capital Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia.

This comes amid rapidly intensifying hostilities. Earlier this week, Pakistan launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan targeting what it described as militant camps linked to groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). In retaliation, Afghanistan conducted cross-border operations late Thursday, prompting Pakistan to declare an "open war" and launch further strikes--code-named Operation Ghazab Lil Haqq--on Taliban military facilities in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia early Friday. Pakistani officials claimed significant casualties on the Afghan side, while Afghan sources reported no or minimal losses from those attacks and asserted their own successful counterstrikes.

The Afghan government's claims of striking deep into Pakistani territory, including areas close to Islamabad and Abbottabad, represent a bold assertion of capability by the Taliban-led air force, though independent verification of the strikes' locations, damage, or outcomes remains limited at this time amid conflicting narratives from both sides.Tensions along the Durand Line have been building for months over mutual accusations of harboring militants, cross-border attacks, and unresolved territorial disputes, raising fears of broader regional instability in South Asia. International calls for de-escalation and dialogue have intensified as the two neighbors exchange fire.

(With inputs from agencies)