Kabul/Islamabad, Feb 28 (UNI) The Taliban’s Defence ministry has claimed that its forces successfully carried out strikes on Pakistani military facilities in Miranshah and Spinwam, describing the operation as a direct response to the recent Pakistani air raids.
In a statement issued overnight, the ministry said the strikes were conducted around midnight on and targeted key military installations in the two struck locations.
Claiming that the Pakistani sites at these locations were “destroyed”, Taliban also said that its fighters inflicted significant damage to enemy forces, with the Pakistani side suffering heavy casualties. The assertions have not been independently verified, with Pakistan refusing to comment on the Afghan claims.
The reported exchange follows Pakistani airstrikes over the past 24 hours on Taliban-linked positions inside Afghanistan. Taliban officials said those operations targeted the 201st Khalid bin Walid Corps in Nangarhar as well as sites in Kandahar, including a compound which has been described as the former residence of Mullah Mohammad Omar and a facility allegedly associated with a Taliban suicide squad.
The current Kabul-Islamabad relations are highlighted by extreme tension, as both sides have exchanged waves of gunfire amid increasing cross-border clashes and bloody skirmishes.
Pakistani authorities have repeatedly accused the Taliban-led administration of failing to curb armed militant groups operating near the frontier, an allegation which the Taliban deny, maintaining that their military actions are defensive in nature and solely aimed at protecting Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
Additionally, Sayed Tayyeb Hammad, spokesman for the Nangarhar Police Command, claimed that Afghan forces shot down a Pakistani fighter jet in Nangarhar province shortly after a newly activated air defence system became operational at Nangarhar airport.
He said the pilot survived and was taken into custody. The claim has not been independently verified, with Pakistani officials offering no comment on the alleged capture.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has previously asserted that Pakistani forces suffered significant casualties during recent clashes, while the Interior Minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, has said that the Taliban are open to engaging in dialogue to resolve hostilities, and urged Islamabad to seize the opportunity before the Taliban announces a nationwide jihad against Pakistan.
For their part, Pakistani officials have described their air operations as targeted actions against militant threats which they allege have been originating from Afghan territory. They say the strikes are part of broader counterterrorism efforts.
Islamabad has also warned that it reserves the right to respond decisively to any escalation, emphasising its commitment to national security and territorial defences, as it refused the Taliban offer to resolve hostilities via dialogue, claiming that it won’t show any restraint in defending its citizens against the alleged threat of militancy emanating from Afghanistan, which the Taliban have consistently denied.
