A Pakistani soldier at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. PHOTO: AFP
Pakistani air strikes struck Taliban’s military installations in major urban centres of Afghanistan as part of “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq” launched in response to “unprovoked and miscalculated” attacks on Pakistani border posts on Thursday.
Taliban regime officials confirmed air raids deep inside Afghanistan – as far as capital Kabul, but they would downplay their losses. Kabul residents, however, reported that they heard secondary explosions for hour that rattled homes across the Afghan capital.
Video verified by Reuters showed thick plumes of black smoke rising above Darulaman, a residential neighbourhood in western Kabul that also houses several government and military compounds, as a fire engulfed part of the depot and repeated flashes lit up the night sky when ammunition ignited inside.
Residents said the bombardment began shortly after midnight. “We were asleep when we heard the sound of a plane,” said Tamim, a taxi driver who lives near the depot. “It came and dropped two bombs, then flew away again. After that, we heard explosions.”
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He said the initial blasts were followed by continuous detonations as stored munitions caught fire. “The ammunition inside the depot kept exploding on its own,” he said. “Everyone, in panic, ran down from the second floor of the house.”
Tamim said the fire burned until about 6am, when it was brought under control. “The blaze was very intense. We were extremely scared and even planned to leave the area,” he said.
Danish, a 35-year-old pharmacist who lives about 10 minutes from the depot, said he had been awake following news of rising tensions. “I couldn’t sleep again until morning.”
Reuters witnesses elsewhere in Kabul reported hearing loud blasts and the sound of aircraft, followed by ambulance sirens cutting through the night.
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Mohammad Ali, 31, who sells mobile electrical accessories, said he was at a guesthouse when a blast around 2am jolted them awake. “At first we thought it was an earthquake,” he said, but soon realised it was gunfire.
Afghanistan is already gripped by poverty, unemployment and worsening hunger since a collapse in aid deliveries after the Taliban recaptured Kabul in 2021 following a two-decade insurgency against the US-backed government.
For many in the capital, the strike revived memories of past conflicts.
Reeling from heavy losses in the Pakistani blitzkrieg, the Taliban regime said it was willing to negotiate with Islamabad as international calls for de-escalation grew. The regime spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that Afghanistan wants to resolve the conflict with Pakistan through dialogue.
With additional input from News Desk.
