The Afghan Taliban has claimed air and drone strikes on several Pakistani military bases. Pakistan has dismissed the attacks near Islamabad and Rawalpindi as rumors. Independent confirmation of the actual situation has not been available.
Afghan Taliban Claims Drone Strikes on Pakistani Military Sites (Image Source: Internet)
New Delhi: The Taliban administration in Afghanistan has claimed to have carried out air and drone strikes on several Pakistani military bases using its limited-resources air force. The Taliban's Defense Ministry stated that these strikes were in response to Pakistani air "incursions" that killed civilians in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktika.
According to the Taliban, the attacks targeted Islamabad, the Nowshera military cantonment, the Jamrud military area, and Abbottabad, near Faisalabad. However, Pakistan has not officially confirmed these attacks.
The Taliban stated that the operation was completed "successfully," but independent agencies have not confirmed the impact, targets hit, and casualties. The Taliban launched the attack from Landi Kotal, about 200 kilometers from Faisalabad, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi, in what is considered an unusual and surprising move.
The Taliban's air force relies on equipment acquired from the US-backed former Afghan forces, but their capabilities are limited due to a lack of technical expertise and resources. According to open sources, they only possess light helicopters and small aircraft. If drones were used in Nowshera, they would be small and low-altitude devices, not high-tech combat aircraft.
Prior to the airstrike claims, fierce fighting broke out between Afghan and Pakistani troops along the disputed Durdan Line. The Taliban claimed to have captured several posts and inflicted heavy casualties on Pakistani troops. Pakistan responded by stating that the Taliban initiated shelling in several sectors, but its troops responded promptly and effectively.
The Taliban have labeled Pakistan's government a "military regime," stating that real power lies with the Pakistani military. This is a clear attempt to challenge the legitimacy of the civilian government and portray the conflict as being driven by the Pakistani military.
