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Amid the escalating tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Kabul is claiming that it has shot down a Pakistani aircraft entering its airspace. However, the videos circulating online of the incident are being termed as fake.
The news was first reported by Tolo News, citing Afghan security sources. An unverified video circulating on social media appeared to show the wreckage of a burning aircraft. One of the online users identified it as a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet, allegedly shot down by Afghan forces.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan claimed that it had shot down the aircraft; however, X’s AI engine Grok noted that no credible platform has reported any such incident. “No, this video isn’t real as claimed. The wreckage shows a large aircraft with tail number 85510 and Pakistani markings, but it doesn’t resemble an F-16 fighter (wrong size/shape)… It’s likely old/unrelated footage misattributed for propaganda,” Grok said.
Pakistan issues a warning
While Pakistan acknowledged that it is carrying out strikes against militants, the country did not say that it suffered no aircraft losses. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the country’s armed forces can “have the full capability to crush any aggressive ambitions".
On Friday, Pakistan carried out airstrikes in major Afghan cities, including the capital Kabul, prompting Defence Minister Khawaja Asif to declare the two neighbours at “open war" after months of tit-for-tat hostilities. Explosions were heard in Kabul and Kandahar.
Pakistan declared that it has Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban following what it described as “unprovoked aggression” along the Durand Line, significantly escalating cross-border tensions.
Pakistani officials noted that the operation targeted Taliban defence positions in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia after Afghan forces carried out what Islamabad termed a large-scale cross-border offensive. Authorities noted that 27 Taliban posts were destroyed in the clashes and nine were captured.
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