Big Blow To Pakistan: Afghanistan Claims It Shot Down F-16 Fighter Jet, Shares Wreckage Video As Tensions Escalate

Kabul: Authorities in Afghanistan have claimed that their forces shot down a fighter jet belonging to Pakistan during intensifying cross-border hostilities. The aircraft is said to be an American-made F-16 operated by the Pakistan Air Force, though independent confirmation of the claim has not yet emerged.

Afghan media outlet TOLO News, claimed that Afghan defensive forces shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet following cross-border airstrikes on Friday. The claim surfaced shortly after Pakistan carried out strikes in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia.

A video shared on X by 'Afghanistan Defence' shows fragments of wreckage that Afghan sources assert are parts of a burning Pakistani F-16. The vertical stabiliser of the highly agile single-engine fighter jet has a small Pakistani flag painted on it. The numbers '85510' are visible near the exhaust.

As of now, the situation remains unclear. Afghanistan maintains that the debris is genuine, while the available footage offers no affirmative proof. No international aviation or defense body has verified the claim, and Pakistan has yet to publicly respond to the reports.

Islamabad has acknowledged conducting cross-border strikes but has rejected assertions that any of its aircraft were lost in the operation. Pakistan has said its airstrikes are a response to Afghan forces attacking Pakistani border troops on Thursday night, in what the Taliban government said was retaliation for earlier deadly air strikes.

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