Afghanistan claims Pak’s Nur Khan air base among other military units attacked with drones

NEW DELHI: Afghanistan on Monday announced that it has targeted multiple Pakistani military installations, including the key Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi, calling the action a retaliatory attack for Pakistani air raids on Afghan territory.

In a post on X, the ministry of national defence of Afghanistan stated that the Afghan air force “conducted precise and coordinated aerial operations against key military installations in Pakistan”, including the Nur Khan airbase, 12th division headquarters in Quetta, Balochistan, and Khwazai Camp in the Mohmand Agency of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the X post that showed a video of drone attacks and satellite images, several other strategic command centres across Pakistan were also targeted.

Veracity of Afghanistan's claim and the extent of the damage to the strategically crucial airbase could not be ascertained. The Nur Khan airbase had hit headlines last year when India targeted it and other Pakistan military bases with BrahMos and other missiles during Operation Sindoor. Over nine months after the Indo-Pak conflict in May 2025, reconstruction work at the Nur Khan base was still under way.

Afghanistan, which has a handful of old airplanes, was exultant over its success. “According to preliminary information, these attacks (on Pakistan bases) have resulted in significant damage to the mentioned targets. This operation was carried out in response to the airstrikes launched by the Pakistani army, which targeted Kabul, Bagram and some other areas last night and today,” the Afghanistan ministry’s post stated.

The Afghanistan ministry stressed that any further breach of Afghan airspace or “acts of aggression” by Pakistan will invite “a swift, decisive, and proportionate response”.

Early on Sunday morning, several Pakistan fighter jets attempted to carry out bombing missions, said local media reports. Afghan anti-aircraft weapons intercepted the missiles, and there were no reported casualties, according to the Afghan spokesman.

In a further escalation, the Taliban claimed that 32 Pakistani soldiers were killed in what it described as retaliatory attacks carried out by its forces overnight, reported Afghanistan-based TOLO news. According to the ministry, the operations were conducted by the 203 Mansouri, 201 Silab, and 205 Al-Badr Corps, resulting not only in fatalities but also in injuries to 10 Pakistani soldiers and the destruction of four military outposts.