1947–1950: Formative years The Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF) was established on 15 August 1947 with the independence of Pakistan from British India. The RPAF began with a paper share allotment of 2,332 personnel, a fleet of 24
Tempest II fighter-bombers, 16
Hawker Typhoon fighters, two
H.P.57 Halifax bombers, two
Auster aircraft, twelve
North American Harvard trainers and ten
de Havilland Tiger Moth biplanes. Very few were available to the RPAF on the ground as they were scattered throughout the British India to be given and collected later on. Of these very few were in flyable condition so that they could be used. Subsequently, it also got eight
C-47 Dakota cargo planes which it used to transport supplies to soldiers fighting in the
1947 War in
Kashmir against India. First two
H.P.57 Halifax bombers were delivered in 1948 and were used during
1947 War for night-time supply drop missions at
Skardu and other northern areas of Pakistan. All received against allotted at the time of independence of Pakistan from British India. It started with seven airbases scattered all over the provinces.
1948–1954: Waziristan rebellion After the
partition of British India,
Faqir of Ipi, a Pashtun separatist leader rejected the creation of the newly created Pakistan. In 1948, the
Faqir of Ipi took control of
North Waziristan's
Datta Khel area and declared the establishment of an independent
Pashtunistan, with support from neighbouring
Kingdom of Afghanistan. In response to the Faqir's rebellion, Pakistan Air Force in June 1949 inadvertently
bombed the Afghan village of Mughalgai on the
Waziristan border with Afghanistan while chasing the
Pashtunistan separatists who had attacked Pakistani border posts from Afghanistan, this attack came to known as
Mughalgai raid which left 23 separatists dead and further fuelled Afghan support for Pashtunistan. Faqir established
Gurwek as headquarters for his activities. Faqir also established a rifle factory in Gurwek with the material support provided by the government of
Afghanistan. In 1953–1954, the PAF's
No. 14 Squadron led an operation from
Miranshah airbase and heavily bombarded the
Faqir of Ipi's compound in
Gurwek which ultimately forced Faqir to detach from an armed campaign against Pakistan.
1959 Indian aerial intrusion On 10 April 1959, on the occasion of the
Eid ul-Fitr festival holiday in
Pakistan, an
Indian Air Force (IAF)
English Electric Canberra B(I)58 of No. 106 Squadron entered Pakistani airspace on a
photo reconnaissance mission. Two PAF
F-86F Sabres (
Flt. Lt. M. N. Butt (leader) and Flt. Lt. M. Yunis) of No. 15 Squadron on Air Defence Alert (ADA) were scrambled from
PAF Base Peshawar to intercept the IAF aircraft. Butt attempted to bring down the Canberra by firing his Sabre's machine guns, but the Canberra was flying at an altitude of more than 50,000 feet—beyond the operational ceiling of the F-86F. When Yunis took over from his leader, the Canberra suddenly lost height while executing a turn over
Rawalpindi. Yunis fired a burst that struck the Canberra at an altitude of 47,500 feet and brought it down over
Rawat, marking the first direct aerial victory of the PAF. Both crew members of the IAF Canberra ejected and were captured by Pakistani authorities. They were subsequently released after remaining in detention for some time.
1960–1961 Bajaur Campaign Between 1960 and 1961,
Royal Afghan Army troops along with thousands of Pashtun tribesmen from Afghanistan crossed the extremely porous Pakistan–Afghanistan border and entered the semi-autonomous Bajaur Agency of Pakistan in an effort to annex the region. The Pakistan Air Force sent
F-86 Sabre jets in order to support the
Pakistani forces and local Pashtun tribesmen of Pakistan who were fighting the Afghan infiltrators. The F-86 Sabre jets also executed bombing runs on
Royal Afghan Army positions in
Kunar, Afghanistan, thus leading Afghan forces to fall back to the
international border. Although the
Royal Afghan Air Force had seven
MiG-17 squadrons and another
MiG-21 squadron being operationalised, no known dogfight has been recorded between the two sides.
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 The PAF fleet at the time consisted of 12
F-104 Starfighters, some 120 F-86 Sabres and around 20
B-57 Canberra bombers. The PAF claims to have had complete
air superiority over the battle area from the second day of operations. However, IAF
Air Chief Marshal Arjan Singh claimed that, despite having been qualitatively inferior to the PAF, the IAF allegedly achieved total air superiority in three days. Many publications have credited the PAF's successes in combat with the IAF to its
U.S.-quality equipment, claiming it to be superior to the aircraft operated by the IAF and giving the PAF a "qualitative advantage". This statement has been refuted by some officials in Pakistan, who say that the IAF's
MiG-21,
Hawker Hunter and
Folland Gnat aircraft had better performance than the PAF's F-86 fighters, without accounting for the obvious quantitative advantage that the IAF possessed. According to retired PAF Air Commodore
Sajad Haider, the F-86 Sabre was inferior in terms of both power and speed to the IAF's
Hawker Hunter. Air Commodore Sajad Haider, who flew with
No. 19 squadron also stated that the F-104 Starfighter did not deserve its reputation as "the pride of the PAF" because it "was unsuited to the tactical environment of the region. It was a high-level interceptor designed to neutralise
Soviet strategic bombers in altitudes above 40,000 feet." Nevertheless, the IAF is believed to have feared facing the Starfighter in combat despite its lack of effectiveness in comparison to the IAF's fleet of
Folland Gnats. According to
Indian sources, the F-86F performed reasonably well against the IAF's Hunters but not as well against the Gnat, which was nicknamed the
Sabre Slayer by the IAF. of 1965. Above is a PAF's 3-ship formation consisting of a Shenyang F-6, Lockheed F-104 & Dassault Mirage-III. Per
India, most of the aircraft losses of the IAF were allegedly on the ground while the PAF suffered most of their losses in aerial combat, a claim that has widely been accepted by most international sources as "a stretch". According to most independent and neutral sources, the PAF lost some 20 aircraft while the IAF lost somewhere between 60 and 75. Despite the intense fighting throughout the course of the war, the conflict was effectively a stalemate and inconclusive in its result.
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 bombers lined up at an airbase By late 1971, the intensification of the independence movement in erstwhile
East Pakistan led to the
Bangladesh Liberation War (later joined by India). On 22 November 1971, 10 days before the start of a full-scale war, four PAF F-86 Sabre jets attacked Indian and
Mukti Bahini positions at
Garibpur, near the international border. Two of the four PAF Sabres
were shot down and one damaged by the IAF's Gnats. On 3 December, India formally declared war against Pakistan following massive
preemptive strikes by the PAF against IAF installations in
Srinagar,
Ambala,
Sirsa,
Halwara and
Jodhpur. However, the IAF did not suffer any significant losses because the leadership had anticipated such a move and consequently, precautions were taken. The IAF was quick to respond to Pakistani airstrikes, following which the PAF carried out mostly defensive sorties. Hostilities officially ended at 14:30 GMT on 17 December, after the fall of
Dacca on 15 December. The PAF flew about 2,840 sorties and destroyed 71 IAF aircraft while losing 43 of its own. But most independent and neutral sources claim that PAF lost 75 aircraft while the IAF lost 45–60 aircraft.
1979–1989: Soviet–Afghan War Falcon In 1979, the PAF's
Chief of the Air Staff,
Air Chief Marshal Anwar Shamim, was told by then-
President and
Chief of the Army Staff General Zia-ul-Haq, that Pakistan had reliable intelligence on Indian plans to attack and destroy Pakistan's nuclear research facilities in
Kahuta. ACM Shamim told General Zia-ul-Haq that, in the PAF's current state, "Indian aircraft could reach the area in three minutes whereas the PAF would take eight minutes, allowing the Indians to attack the facility and return before the PAF could defend or retaliate". Because Kahuta was close to the Indian border, a consensus was reached acknowledging that the best way to deter a possible Indian attack would be to procure new advanced fighters and weaponry. These could be used to mount a retaliatory attack on India's nuclear research facilities in
Trombay in the event of an Indian attack on Kahuta. It was decided the most suitable aircraft would be the
F-16 Fighting Falcon, which the United States eventually agreed to supply after the PAF refused to purchase the
F-5. In 1983, when the first batch of F-16s reached Pakistan, ACM Shamim informed Zia of the PAF's increasing capability to effectively respond to an attack on the nuclear research facilities at Kahuta. Due to rising tensions with the Soviet Union due to its
invasion of Afghanistan, Pakistan's
ISI systematically coordinated with the
CIA,
MI6 and
Mossad to secure American resources and armaments for the
Afghan mujahideen who were combating the invading
Soviet forces. Various reports during this period widely indicated that the PAF had in fact covertly engaged in aerial combat against the
Soviet Air Force in support of the
Afghan Air Force during the course of the conflict; one of which belonged to
Alexander Rutskoy. Between May 1986 and November 1988, the PAF's newly acquired F-16s had shot down at least eight intruding aircraft from
Afghanistan. The first three of these (one
Su-22, one probable Su-22, and one
An-26) were shot down by two pilots from No. 9 Squadron. Pilots of No. 14 Squadron destroyed the remaining five intruders (two Su-22s, two
MiG-23s, and one
Su-25). Most of these kills were by the
AIM-9 Sidewinder, but at least one (a Su-22) was destroyed by cannon fire. Pakistani Flight Lieutenant Khalid Mahmoud is credited with three of these kills. The PAF is believed to have evaluated the
French Dassault Mirage 2000 in early 1981 and was planning to evaluate the
F-16 Fighting Falcon afterwards.
1990–2001: U.S. arms embargo After the
Pressler amendment was passed, the United States placed
sanctions and an
arms embargo on Pakistan starting on 6 October 1990 due to the continuance of the country's nuclear weapons research programme. All eleven
Peace Gate III F-16s, along with seven F-16A and ten F-16B of the 60
Peace Gate IV F-16s, which had been built by the end of 1994 were embargoed and put into storage on U.S. soil. Desperate for a new high-tech combat aircraft, between late 1990 and 1993 the PAF evaluated the European
Panavia Tornado MRCA (multi-role combat aircraft), and ultimately rejected it. France's Dassault Mirage 2000E and an offer from
Poland for the supply of
MiG-29s and
Su-27s were also considered, but no deal materialised. In 1992, the PAF once again looked towards the French Mirage 2000, reviving a proposal from the early 1980s to procure around 20–40 aircraft, but a sale did not occur because France did not want to sell a fully capable version due to pressure from the United States. In August 1994, the PAF was offered the
Saab JAS-39 Gripen by
Sweden, but the sale did not occur because 20% of the Gripen's components were sourced from the U.S., which was still maintaining sanctions on Pakistan. In mid-1992, Pakistan was close to signing a contract for the supply of 40 Dassault Mirage 2000s, equipped with Thomson-CSF RDM/7 radars from France, although U.S. sanctions also prevented this deal from finalising. In mid-1994, it was reported that
Russian manufacturers
Sukhoi and
Mikoyan were offering the Su-27 and MiG-29, but Pakistan was reported to be negotiating for supply of the Mirage 2000–5. French and Russian teams visited Pakistan on 27 November 1994 and it was speculated that the interest in Russian aircraft was to pressure France into reducing the price of the Mirage 2000. The stated requirement was for up to 40 aircraft.
2001–2021: War in Afghanistan The Pakistan Air Force is believed to have had a primary role in the
alleged evacuation of
Taliban personnel by the
Pakistani military from
Afghanistan. However, Pakistani and American officials have denied any such airlift taking place.
2008 post-Mumbai attacks air alert After the
2008 Mumbai attacks, the Pakistan Air Force was put on high alert in anticipation of any potential Indian accusations and offensives. It deployed to all its wartime locations and started routine combat air patrols. The speed and intensity of the deployment and PAF's readiness took the
Indian Army High Command by surprise and later reports suggest that was the main factor to influence the Indians' decision of not going for cross border raids inside Pakistan. The PAF was issued a standing order to launch an immediate counter-attack in case of an air attack from India, after a call from the
Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee to the
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari (the call later turned out to be a hoax).
2011 U.S. raid in Abbottabad An initial investigation report revealed that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) reported the movement of some half-a-dozen planes near the
Jalalabad border at 23:00 before
American helicopters entered
Abbottabad to kill
Osama bin Laden. "One aircraft was identified as a US AWACS and the remaining five were recognized as
F/A-18 jets of the US. These planes flew near the Pakistani border, but did not cross into the airspace of Pakistan," On the detection of an intrusion, PAF jets on air defence alert were scrambled and the PAF immediately took adequate operational measures as per standard operating procedure. The PAF aircraft continued their presence in the
Abbottabad area until early morning and later returned to their air bases. However, the operation was conducted with stealthy modified versions of the Black Hawk helicopter which used special technology to avoid detection to entered Pakistani airspace, stayed for three hours to carry out a major operation. PAF jets only arrived at the location 24 minutes after the American helicopters had left. It was one of the most asymmetric capability incidents in PAF history.
2001–2021: Counter-insurgency operations in North-West Pakistan aircraft drops two 500-pound bombs during Falcon Air Meet 2010 at
Azraq Royal Jordanian Air Base in Azraq,
Jordan The
Pakistan Army faced several problems during its
2009 offensive against the Taliban in
North-West Pakistan. Hundreds of thousands of
Pakistanis vacated the area when the offensive was announced and, eventually, over two million had to be accommodated in
refugee camps. The offensive was to be completed as quickly as possible to allow the refugees to return to their homes but the
army's fleet attack helicopters were insufficient to provide adequate support to infantry on the ground. The PAF was sent into action against the
Taliban to make up for the lack of helicopter gunships. Because the PAF was trained and equipped to fight a
conventional war, a new "counter-terrorist doctrine" had to be improvised. The PAF's
Saffron Bandit exercise focused on extensive training of combat personnel to undertake
COIN operations. New equipment was inducted to improve the PAF's joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. A
C-130 transport aircraft was indigenously modified for day/night ISR operations. Use of laser-guided bombs was increased to 80% of munitions used, as compared to 40% in the previous 1960s
Bajaur campaign. A small corps of ground spotters were trained and used by the PAF, in addition to Pakistan Army spotters, to identify high-value targets. Prior to the Pakistan Army's offensive into
South Waziristan, the PAF attacked militant infrastructure with 500 lb and 2000 lb bombs. A six-member committee of tribal elders from the area tasked with finding the exact number of civilian casualties reported that 61 civilians were killed and 21 were wounded. This was not confirmed by
government figures but Pakistan's then-Chief of the Army Staff, General
Ashfaq Kayani, gave a public apology on 17 April. It is reported that
BBC News and several other media correspondences were not allowed to take interviews from the injured.
2019 Pakistan airstrikes in Jammu and Kashmir which shot down one of the Indian jets in 2019 Following the
Pulwama attack in
Jammu and Kashmir, India accused Pakistan of involvement in this incident. In response, India carried out
airstrikes in the vicinity of the town of
Balakot in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, several miles inside the province's boundary with
Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan's military claimed that the Indian planes dropped their payload in an uninhabited wooded hilltop area near Balakot after being intercepted by PAF fighter jets. On 27 February 2019, when a standoff between India and Pakistan had begun, Pakistan claimed to have struck six open spaces near
Indian military installations inside Indian Controlled Kashmir, in what was codenamed "Operation Swift Retort". Ten minutes before the 27 February airstrikes, an IAF
Mi-17 helicopter was shot down by an Indian
Spyder missile, having been mistaken for a PAF drone. This resulted in total loss of the aircraft and death of all on board: two pilots (squadron leaders Siddarth Vashista and Ninad Mandavgane), flight engineer Vishal Kumar Pandey, sergeant Vikrant Sehrawat, and corporals Deepak Pandey and Pankaj Kumars, and one civilian on the ground (Kifayat Hussain Gani). In April 2023 IAF court martialled Group Captain Sumon Roy Chaudhry, second in command of
Srinagar Air Force Station at the time of the PAF strikes for negligence, and he was to be dismissed, however the dismissal was ruled
ultra vires by the
High Court of Punjab and Haryana, who set a date of 12 September 2023 for their hearing The pilots were posthumously awarded the
Vayu Sena gallantry medal. Pakistan rejected India's statement, stating that no F-16s were deployed. India also accepted loss of its Mi-17 helicopter in a friendly fire terming it as "a big mistake". Pakistan would later go on to accept that F-16s had been used, but maintained that none of them were shot down. Pakistan also claimed to have shot down a
Sukhoi Su-30 MKI, a claim rejected by Indian authorities.
Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was piloting the MiG-21 Bison, was captured and arrested by the Pakistani military upon being shot down. He was held for two days, before being released at the
Wagah-
Attari border crossing on 1 March in what the Pakistani Prime Minister
Imran Khan called a gesture of peace. Khan received praise from both sides of the border for his restraint and steps towards peace. Initially, Pakistani military officials claimed to have had two pilots in custody, one of whom died while undergoing treatment, a claim which was later changed to having only Abhinandan in custody. This was taken to be evidence of a Pakistani pilot being shot down by some Indian sources. A US count of the PAFs F-16 fleet and several international military observers, did not support the Indian claim of shooting down a PAF F-16.
2022 Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan At least 47 people were killed and 22 injured in two airstrikes by Pakistani forces along the border with Afghanistan on 16 April 2022. The Taliban summoned Pakistan's ambassador in Kabul and registered their protest against the military airstrikes inside Afghanistan. These airstrikes mark the first known instance of a foreign country launching attack on Afghan soil since the establishment of
Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan.
2024 Pakistani airstrikes in Iran At least nine people were killed when Pakistan Air Force conducted retaliatory strikes, codenamed as
Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar on seven targets within Iran's
Sistan and Baluchestan province. The attack came two days after a similar Iranian
missile strike inside Pakistani territory. According to Iran, nine foreign nationals were killed in the attack.
Baloch Liberation Army, one of the group targeted in the strikes, said that the strikes had targeted and killed its people. It was first strike on Iranian soil by any foreign power since the time of end of
Iran–Iraq War in 1988.
March 2024 Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan On 18 March 2024, in response to the attack from Afghanistan, Pakistan Air Force carried out two intelligence based airstrikes on Afghanistan's eastern border provinces of
Khost and
Paktika. The Afghan government claim that Pakistan killed five women and three children. Pakistan denies this, claiming that it killed terrorists instead while targeting the
Hafiz Gul Bahadur militant group, a splinter organisation of the
Pakistani Taliban, and that it had successfully killed Sehra alias Janan, a high-value target (HVT) commander. Another commander, Abdullah Mehsud, was claimed to have been killed, but later released a video refuting the claim. It was also reported that Mehsud's house was targeted in which his wife and a minor son was killed. Pakistan went on to blame the Pakistani Taliban and its splinter militias for the deaths of hundreds of Pakistani civilians, and claimed that they used Afghanistan as a base and that they had support from within the Taliban. These airstrikes mark the second instance of attack by Pakistan on the sovereign soil of Afghanistan in a period less than two years. The first similar Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan soil came in 2022. The villages targeted by PAF included Laman, Margha, and Murg Bazaar and four other villages of
Barmal district. Reports indicate that the Murg Bazaar village in Barmal was completely destroyed. According to Pakistani sources, the Pakistani airstrikes took four High Value Targets (HVTs) that included terrorists camps and hideouts of key commanders of
TTP. The targets included the compound of senior ranking Commander of
TTP Sher Zaman alias Mukhlis Yar's hideout, the Commander Abu Hamza's recruitment camp and Akhtar Muhammad alias Khalil's suicide bomber camp. All of these commanders were using camps for recruitment and training young child suicide bombers and terrorists. The fourth target struck by PAF was "Umar Media" cell of TTP, being headed by the TTP's commander Shoaib Iqbal Cheema alias Muneeb Jatt, from where the TTP propagated its digital propaganda to recruit suicide bombers. Afghan Taliban's Defence Ministry and the
Afghan Taliban regime official spokesperson
Zabiullah Mujahid confirmed reports of the strike carried out by Pakistani forces, but claimed that the dead and injured included a number of children and other civilians. The PAF's strikes mark third instance of Pakistan launching attack on Afghan soil since the
fall of Kabul. The Pakistan airstrikes coincided the birthday of
Pakistan's founder and followed the PAF's
2022 Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan and
2024 Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan.
2025 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict 9 October 2025 In the early hours of 9 October 2025, Pakistan carried out airstrikes in
Kabul,
Khost,
Jalalabad, and
Paktika, targeting the
Pakistani Taliban (TTP) which it code named "
Operation Khyber Storm". The group's leader,
Noor Wali Mehsud, was the main target of the attack in
Kabul, which occurred in
Abdul Haq Square, but survived. On 9 October 2025, at around 9:50 p.m.
AFT, two loud explosions were heard in
Kabul, particularly in the eastern sectors near Abdul Haq Square, District 8 of Kabul. Explosions and gunfire were heard in other parts of Kabul, leading residents to believe that an airstrike had taken place. Witnesses described hearing the sound of aircraft overhead shortly after the blasts. Subsequent reports said that the leader of the
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan/Pakistani Taliban (TTP),
Noor Wali Mehsud was the target of the strike. Airstrikes were also reported to have taken place in
Khost,
Jalalabad, and
Paktika. However, the Afghan government only confirmed airstrikes in Kabul and Paktika. A TTP official confirmed that the airstrike in Kabul killed at least two senior members of the group. Some sources claimed that TTP Emir Noor Wali Mehsud was killed in the strike; however, the TTP released an unverified voice recording purportedly from Mehsud, in which he states that he is alive. Mehsud later released a video showing that he was alive and escaped the strikes on him by the
Pakistan Air Force (PAF). Afghan journalists noted that the Afghan Taliban restricted access to the areas that had been struck by Pakistan. The October 9 airstrikes was the unprecedented and first known airstrikes of Pakistan Air Force on Afghanistan's capital
Kabul in the history of Afghanistan-Pakistan relations.
12 October 2025 On 12 October, local sources in Afghanistan reported that a drone strike by Pakistan in Afghanistan's southern provinces of
Kandahar and
Helmand killed 19 Taliban fighters, including Commander Haji Nusrat. The casualties from the drone strike were not confirmed by Afghan officials.
Pakistani state media claimed that its armed forces had captured 21 Afghan border posts, with the Taliban fighters at the posts being either killed or escaping and some allegedly surrendering in
Kurram district. The
Inter-Services Public Relations, the media wing for the
Pakistan Armed Forces, released aerial footage of its strike on cross-border Afghan positions.
BBC Verify confirmed significant damage to an Afghan security compound in
Spin Boldak following a Pakistani airstrike.
15 October 2025 On 15 October 2025, Pakistani officials announced that they had carried out a series of precision airstrikes inside Afghanistan targeting several military installations. According to the officials, the strikes struck key hideouts of the Taliban and TTP, killing dozens of foreign and Afghan operatives. The airstrike in Kabul specifically targeted the headquarters and leadership of anti-Pakistan militants, according to Pakistani officials. According to Afghan media sources, Pakistan’s airstrikes in Kandahar struck the Fourth and Eighth Taliban Brigades as well as the Fifth Border Corps, reportedly killing between 15 and 20 Taliban fighters. Pakistan released video footage of its air attacks on Afghan military positions during the conflict, including the Durrani Camp, Manojba Camp Battalion Headquarters, Manojba Camp-2, and the Ghaznali Headquarters adjacent to the
Nushki district in
Balochistan province.
Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) confirmed Pakistani drone strikes in Spin Boldak. BBC Verify also confirmed a video of a Pakistani munition striking an Afghan military vehicle in Spin Boldak. Abdul Ghafoor Abed, a journalist for RTA, was killed and another individual was injured during crossfire in Spin Boldak. In Kandahar, locals reported airstrikes on an Afghan military base and two additional strikes on targets in the Aino Mina settlement. Afghan security personnel sealed off access to Aino Mina, preventing anyone from entering the area. Afghan state media reported that a number of civilians were killed in the Pakistani airstrikes in Kandahar. In Kabul, a resident reported hearing four large explosions, with blasts continuing intermittently every few minutes. Several residents reported hearing the sound of fighter jets flying overhead just moments before the explosions. Residents state that the Lulu Tower, a residential building, and another building were targeted in the airstrikes. According to locals, some Taliban officials may have been living in the tower's apartments. Afghan officials dismissed any new reports airstrikes in Afghanistan and attributed the explosions to an
oil tanker blast. The October 15 airstrikes was the second round of airstrikes by the Pakistan Air Force on Afghanistan's capital
Kabul in the history of Afghanistan-Pakistan relations. At least five people were killed and 35 wounded in the blasts in Kabul, said Italian NGO, Emergency, which runs a hospital in the city. The casualties suffered shrapnel wounds, blunt force trauma, and burns, with 10 in critical condition, the NGO said. According to according to local health officials, the death toll from clashes in Spin Boldak rose to 40 on the Afghan side. At least 171 others remained injured, with several of them in critical condition. According to Afghan media, it remains unclear whether any Taliban military personnel were among the dead. However, reports from southern Afghanistan suggest that the bodies of several Taliban fighters were transferred to Spin Boldak and nearby districts. The Afghan government did not release any casualty figures.
17 October The
United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) disclosed that 37 civilians had died and 425 others had been injured due to cross-border violence in the past week. The provinces of Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Kunar, Kandahar, and Helmand saw the highest number of casualties. On the same day, following the expiration of a 48-hour ceasefire, Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Paktika Province. According to Taliban officials, the airstrikes targeted three locations, with one strike hitting a house and killing 10 people. The victims included local cricket players, women, and children. The
International Cricket Council (ICC) expressed sorrow over the deaths of three Afghan cricketers, condemned the violence, and stood in solidarity with the
Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), which announced its withdrawal from the
2025 Pakistan T20I Tri-Nation Series that was to be played throughout November in respect for the victims. An Afghan spokesman confirmed the airstrikes, claiming they targeted civilians, and said Kabul reserved the right to respond, but had instructed fighters to hold back out of respect for the negotiating team. However, according to Pakistani officials, the airstrikes targeted hideouts of the militant belonging to the
Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, killing dozens of armed fighters.
2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict 21 February 2026 During the late hours of 21 February, local sources in Afghanistan reported airstrikes in parts of
Nangarhar,
Paktika, and
Khost provinces. In Nangarhar, the strikes were reported in
Bihsud and
Khogyani districts, while in Paktika, they were reported in Barmal and Urgun districts. Local sources also reported strikes in parts of Khost province, although no further details were provided. Local sources report that the airstrikes in Nangarhar province's Bihsud district struck a civilian home, trapping 23 people beneath the rubble.
Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting stated that the military conducted "intelligence-based selective targeting" of seven terrorist camps and hideouts along the border region. Specific locations reported by Afghan sources included
Girdi Kas village in
Bihsud District,
Nangarhar Province, and areas in
Bermal and
Urgun Districts of
Paktika Province. The Taliban claimed that the targets included civilian homes and a religious seminary. In a late-night press release, Pakistani officials confirmed that the
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan. Officials said the strikes were selective and intelligence-based, and targeted seven militant camps and hideouts linked to the
Pakistani Taliban and
Islamic State Khorasan Province near the Pakistan–Afghanistan border. Additionally, Pakistani officials stated that the strikes were conducted as retaliation for the recent terror attacks in Islamabad, Bajaur, and
Bannu. A Pakistani newspaper, citing military sources, reported that the seven TTP hideouts in Nangarhar, Paktika, and Khost provinces were destroyed and that more than 80 militants were killed; however, Taliban officials in Afghanistan stated that airstrikes took place in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces. They said an airstrike in Bihsud District killed 18 civilians, including 11 children. Afghan Taliban officials also condemned the airstrikes and warned of a calculated response at an appropriate time. Shayesteh Jan Ahadi, former head of the Paktia Provincial Council, stated that Pakistani airstrikes in several districts were very widespread and powerful. The
UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported that Pakistan carried out airstrikes between 11:45 p.m. on 21 February and 12:15 a.m. on 22 February. UNAMA also reported that airstrikes in Paktika province damaged or destroyed infrastructure. On 23 February, UNAMA confirmed that over thirteen civilians had been killed by the Pakistani airstrikes, with an additional seven injured. Pakistan described the operation as a retributive response to a series of suicide bombings inside Pakistan, including the
6 February bombing of a Shia mosque in
Islamabad that killed 31 worshippers (claimed by ISKP), and
attacks in Bajaur and
Bannu districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the early days of
Ramadan. Pakistan also claimed that the strikes were "intelligence-based, selective operations" against seven camps and hideouts belonging to the
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, also referred to by Pakistani authorities as
Fitna al-Khawarij), its affiliates, and the
Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP).This was the seventh time Pakistan has carried out airstrike in Afghanistan since the
Afghan Taliban took over in August 2021. The Taliban-led Afghan government condemned the strikes as a "blatant violation of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity" and a breach of international law, stating that they hit civilian homes, a religious seminary, and other civilian structures, killing at least 18 people (including women and children) and leaving others missing under rubble. In addition, one family in Girdi Kas lost 18 of 23 members, and additional casualties were reported in
Paktika. Afghan officials vowed an "appropriate and measured response" at a suitable time.
26 February 2026 On 26th February 2026, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab Lil Haq in response to Taliban-led Afghanistan's offensive against Pakistan what they described as a "retaliatory operation" along the border in the provinces of Nangarhar, Nuristan, Kunar, Khost, Paktia, and Paktika. Under Operation Ghazab Lil Haq and carried and air strikes against Afghan Taliban positions in Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, and Nangarhar were conducted by the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force.
Khawaja Asif, Pakistan's defense minister, announced the start of 'open war' between the two countries. Pakistani officials stated that around 133 Taliban fighters were killed and more than 200 were injured during the clashes and subsequent operation. They further added that the airstrikes destroyed two corps headquarters, three brigade headquarters, two ammunition depots, one logistics base, three battalion headquarters, two sector headquarters, and more than 80 tanks, artillery pieces, and APCs (armoured personnel carriers). Pakistani officials also said that 27 border posts held by Taliban forces were destroyed and nine were captured. Taliban spokesperson
Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed airstrikes in Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, and several other locations, and stated that these airstrikes did not cause any casualties. In Kabul, residents reported that airstrikes struck an ammunition depot near
Darulaman, triggering hours of secondary explosions that rattled homes across the capital. Residents also reported hearing the sound of many ambulance sirens following the airstrike on the ammunition depot. Satellite images reviewed by
The New York Times confirmed an airstrike on an ammunition depot in Kabul. Additionally, satellite imagery released by
Planet Labs revealed damage at two locations in Kabul, which are 400 meters apart. In
Gardez, scorch marks and damage to four buildings at a military base belonging to Taliban forces were visible from satellite imagery. Furthermore,
NASA gathered and published data indicating a significant heat signature at the military base, suggesting that a sizeable fire had erupted at the site overnight. In Kandahar, Pakistani officials released aerial footage of a large explosion at an ammunition depot near
Kandahar International Airport.
BBC News, using satellite imagery, confirmed the location of an ammunition depot in Kandahar. In Paktika, a video shared on social media showed smoke rising from a Taliban military base in the Urgun District. BBC News confirmed the location by matching roads and a distinctive foreground building with satellite imagery. Analysts at Maiar, an intelligence firm, stated that Pakistan's strikes on buildings and other infrastructure in Afghanistan appeared to be largely confined to military sites. They said that one of the buildings struck in Kabul appeared to be a military headquarters or command-and-control centre, and that vehicles parked nearby suggested the building had been occupied. In Kandahar, the analysts reported damage to at least two buildings within a large complex, which they assessed to be a headquarters of some kind. PAF airstrikes in Kandahar province also struck the former home of
Mullah Omar, the late founder of the Taliban, which was currently serving as a base for the Taliban's suicide unit. The property is located about one kilometer from the residence of the current Taliban leader,
Hibatullah Akhundzada. According to local Afghan sources, about 15 Taliban members were killed in the strike. Elsewhere in the province, parts of
Spin Boldak District were also struck. Additionally, Taliban forces' facility in Pul-e-Charkhi was also struck by the PAF. Following Pakistan's airstrikes on Kabul and Kandahar, Zabihullah Mujahid stated that the Taliban were ready to negotiate with Pakistan.
27 February In the morning, the PAF carried out airstrikes in parts of
Paktika and
Laghman provinces, according to local Afghan sources. The airstrike in Laghman targeted the
201 Khalid Ibn Walid Corps, while the one in Paktika struck a house. However, according to some Afghan sources, the Taliban-led Afghan armed forces base in Paktika was the one that was struck by the PAF. Afghan local sources also report an airstrike on the Taliban-led Afghan border brigade in Paktika province. Later the same day, at around noon, the Taliban-led Afghan border brigade in
Gardez was also struck by an airstrike carried out by the PAF. An additional airstrike in parts of
Nangarhar was also reported by local Afghan sources. The Taliban-led Afghan armed forces base in
Khost Province was also struck in the airstrikes that were carried out on 27 February. On the same day, the Taliban-led Afghan Ministry of Defense announced that it had carried out airstrikes in Pakistan targeting military sites in
Faizabad,
Nowshera,
Jamrud, and
Abbottabad. The ministry did not provide details about the type of aircraft or equipment allegedly used in the attacks. Pakistani officials, however, stated that attempts to strike in
Abbottabad,
Swabi, and
Nowshera using small drones had been foiled using anti-drone systems. They denied that any strike had taken place in Faizabad or Jamrud, and said that these attacks were the work of the
Pakistani Taliban rather than the Afghan Taliban. The drone in Swabi crashed near a girls' school, injuring a student. A quadcopter attack on a mosque in
Bannu injured five worshippers. Pakistan subsequently imposed a countrywide ban on drone flights.
28 February In the early hours, clashes between Pakistan border guards and Afghan Taliban were reported along the
border areas of Torkham. Later on, an airstrike was carried out by the PAF on
Jalalabad Airport, the capital of Nangarhar province. An
AFP journalist reported hearing sounds of two loud explosions from the direction of Jalalabad airport. Pakistan's media outlet also reported an airstrike in Nangarhar province targeting several Taliban headquarters. On the same day, Afghan forces claimed a Pakistani fighter was shot down over
Jalalabad using anti-aircraft guns, with the pilot captured alive. Pakistan rejected the Afghan Taliban's claim, labeling it as wartime propaganda. Afterwards, the detained individual was severely beaten by the Afghan Taliban and locals, while being paraded through the market area in Jalalabad, with Taliban officials terming the event as an important war operation. However, later on, it was revealed that the pilot that Afghan forces captured was an ordinary Afghan national who was a parachutist and had no connection to the Pakistani army. Further investigation also revealed that news of downing a fighter jet was false, and the detained individual was later released. Elsewhere, the PAF carried out airstrikes in parts of Khost, Kandahar provinces, and Kabul. Taliban-led Afghan government deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said that 52 people had been killed and 66 others injured as a result of Pakistani attacks on the provinces of Paktika, Khost, Kunar, Nangarhar, and Kandahar. The Pakistani officials said that the PAF had targeted 41 locations in Afghanistan, including brigade and battalion headquarters in Nangarhar province and an army headquarters in Kandahar province.
1 March Bagram Air Strikes In the early hours, the PAF conducted airstrikes in Kabul with locals reporting hearing sounds of explosions and gunfire in several parts of Kabul, including
Darulaman, and areas near the airport and
Kārte Naw. According to residents, Pakistani fighter aircraft began patrolling and conducting intermittent strikes at about 20:30 local time on 28 February; explosions and gunfire were reported until about 06:00 the following morning. Residents also report hearing sound of explosions and gunfire around
Shash Darak neighborhood. Shash Darak is home to several Afghan government and intelligence facilities, including Directorate 40 of the Taliban's intelligence service and offices of the Urban Development Ministry. Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense said that air-defense fire had been directed at Pakistani aircraft over Kabul and advised residents not to be alarmed. Later that day, the PAF carried out airstrikes on
Bagram Airfield. Taliban officials claimed Pakistan's fighter jets attempted to bomb the base but were repelled by anti-aircraft fire and that no damage was sustained. However, satellite imagery published by
The New York Times showed a hangar and two warehouses at the base had been destroyed. Pakistani officials later confirmed the strike on Bagram and said it also destroyed military supplies. On the same day, the Afghan Ministry of Defence said it had carried out airstrikes on Pakistan's military sites in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and
Balochistan, without specifying the type of aircraft or aerial equipment used. Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting rejected the claim and described it as false, stating that no evidence such as satellite imagery, flight data, ground footage, or eyewitness accounts had been provided to substantiate it. In Pakistan's
Mohmand District, a drone crashed at Governor Model High School, causing no casualties or significant structural damage. Following the incident, Pakistani officials temporarily closed a number schools close to the border areas. Later that day, Pakistani officials said that Operation Ghazab lil-Haq was ongoing and that, since the start of hostilities, 415 Afghan Taliban fighters had been killed and more than 580 wounded. According to the officials, Pakistan's forces had destroyed 182 Taliban posts, captured 31 others, and disabled 185 tanks and armoured personnel carriers. The officials further add that the PAF conducted airstrikes at 46 locations inside Afghanistan. The officials also released footage that they said showed Pakistani troops crossing into Afghanistan from
North Waziristan and capturing a border outpost belonging to Afghan Taliban. Elsewhere, Pakistan's security forces claimed to have taken control of 32 square kilometres (12 sq mi) of
Ghudwana, a strategic Afghan territory in
Paktika Province. At night, local resident in
Herat province said that fighter jets were patrolling the skies of the province. In
Islam Qala, residents reported hearing two explosions as aircraft flew over.
2 March Panjshir-Kapisa Air Strikes On 2 March, the PAF conducted airstrikes in Kabul which where confirmed by Taliban officials. According to Afghan local sources, the PAF also carried out airstrikes in parts of
Panjshir,
Kapisa, and Nangarhar provinces. In the provinces of Panjshir and Kapisa, local sources reported that, for the third consecutive night, they had heard aircraft, explosions, and ground-to-air gunfire. According to residents, scattered gunfire was also heard in the area known as Darband Mountain, which connects Panjshir, Kapisa, and
Parwan. While in Nangarhar province, Pakistan's warplane bombed a Taliban-led Afghan armed forces' border brigade near the provincial capital Jalalabad.
2 March Panjshir-Kapisa-Badakshan-Herat-Kabul Air Strikes On 3 March, the PAF conducted airstrikes in parts of
Panjshir,
Kabul,
Badakhshan,
Herat, and
Kapisa. Residents of Kabul reported that the city had been subjected to daily airstrikes over the past six days. In Panjshir, residents reported hearing a loud explosion, and said that the
Bazarak area was shaken by a strong tremor. In Herat, residents stated that fighter jets were patrolling over the city's airport and that gunfire was heard from the airport. In Badakhshan, residents reported that an airstrike had taken place in
Fayzabad. Taliban officials did not release any official details regarding these airstrikes. A PAF airstrike was also reported in Afghanistan's
Nuristan province. As per the Taliban spokesperson, 110 Afghan civilians had been killed, while 120 others had been wounded. The spokesperson added that Pakistani attacks in Afghanistan have damaged public facilities, mosques, and houses. The spokesperson also said that Afghanistan has approached
Russia,
China, the
European Union, and
United Kingdom to help end the war. The spokesperson warned that as long as Pakistan's attacks inside Afghanistan will continue, Taliban forces will keep on responding. A spokesperson for Taliban-led Afghan Ministry of Defense said that Taliban forces has the ability to block Pakistan's air operations inside Afghanistan. Pakistani officials added that since the start of hostilities 56 locations across Afghanistan targeted in air strikes.
4 March Kandahar Air Brigade and 205 Al-Badr Corps Airstrikes On 4 March, armed clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistani border guards continued in the border areas of Zabul, Kandahar, Khost, and Kunar provinces. An Afghan media outlet quoting local sources in several provinces report that many of the Pakistani strikes in recent days appeared to have targeted Taliban military facilities. They also reported that, over the previous week, the military corps of the Taliban-led Afghan armed forces in Nangarhar province had been struck by the PAF. On the same day, the PAF carried out multiple airstrikes in Kandahar targeting the Taliban-led Afghan armed forces' air brigade, the third battalion of the border police, and the
205 Al-Badr Corps. Taliban officials had not commented on the reports of airstrikes on military sites in Kandahar province. Pakistani officials added that they had destroyed an ammunition depot and headquarters of
205 Corps brigade headquarters in Kandahar. Pakistani officials added that Pakistani airstrikes had targeted 62 locations across Afghanistan.
7 March On 7 March, Pakistani officials stated that PAF had carried out air strikes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, destroying several Afghan Taliban positions. The officials added the airstrikes inflicted heavy casualties on the Taliban forces, forcing them to abandon and flee from those positions. Meanwhile, Taliban officials said that Pakistani forces had bombed the provinces of Paktia, Paktika, Khost,
Maidan Wardak, and Kunar, resulting in civilian casualties and damage to homes and shops. Taliban officials did not comment on the casualties suffered by their forces. Taliban officials also urged the
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to take action to stop Pakistan's attacks. They cited recent strikes on several Afghan provinces, civilian casualties, displacement, and the expulsion and harassment of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, and called on the UNSC to help end the situation. On 8 March, Pakistani officials stated that since the start of hostilities, 583 Afghan Taliban operatives had been killed and more than 795 injured. They added that Pakistani forces had destroyed 242 check-posts, captured 38 others, destroyed 213 tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery guns, and targeted 64 locations across Afghanistan in PAF air strikes.
9 March Shaheen Base Paktika Airstrikes On 9 March, Pakistani officials stated that PAF destroyed an ammunition depot at Shaheen Base in Paktika province, Pakistani officials released a video of PAF airstrikes on ammunition depot at Shaheen Base in Paktika.
10 March On 10 March, Taliban officials said that Pakistani forces had carried out airstrikes in parts of Paktika, Paktia, Khost, and Nuristan provinces, killing three civilians and injuring three others. In Pakistan's Mohmand district, Pakistani Taliban militants clashed with police, resulting in no casualties on either side.
13 March Kandahar Oil Depot Strikes On 13 March, the PAF launched multiple airstrikes targeting areas in Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, and Paktika. Taliban spokesman said that Pakistan's airstrike caused civilian casualties and destroyed a fuel depot of the
Kam Air airline.Pakistani officials denied Taliban's spokesman allegations and stated that PAF targeted Taliban military sites and infrastructure in the provinces of Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia. They said the strikes hit facilities linked to
313 Corps and an ammunition depot in Kabul, the Tarawo training center and logistical infrastructure, including a fuel depot, in Kandahar, and the Sher-e-Nau militant camp in Paktia.
14 March Pakistani attempted airstrikes on Taliban leader Habitullah Akhunzada in Kandahar Pakistani officials stated that the Pakistan Air Force had carried out airstrikes on five military bases in Kandahar, including the
General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI),
Haibatullah Akhundzada's special forces unit, the border command, a tunnel, and a Taliban technical equipment warehouse. Pakistani officials added that the targeted military sites had been destroyed and released videos and images of the strikes in
Kandahar.[
better source needed] Locals in Kandahar told an
Agence France-Presse journalist that military aircraft had flown over a mountain housing a military facility before an explosion was heard. Afghan locals sources state that Pakistani airstrikes struck a Taliban special forces facility linked to Hibatullah Akhundzada, as well as an ammunition depot and a border command center in Kandahar Province. The special forces site, located near a compound associated with Mullah Omar, was described as one of Akhundzada's most trusted units. Afghan locals also reported an airstrike in Spin Boldak District, while armed clashes resumed between Taliban forces and Pakistani border guards in Khost. However, a Taliban spokesperson claimed that no one had been hurt in the airstrikes and that they had caused only limited damage to a drug rehabilitation centre and an empty container.
16 March On 16 March, Pakistan said that its forces launched multiple airstrikes against Taliban military installations in Kabul and Nangarhar, and claimed that it destroyed ammo storages and "technical support infrastructure". Taliban claimed that Pakistani strikes on Khost province killed four civilians and wounded nine, and destroyed civilian infrastructure in Kunar and Paktika province with 43 rounds being fired into Shkin district. On 16 March around night time an airstrike hit a hospital in Kabul, Pakistani forces claimed that the hospital was a drone factory which was denied by Afghanistan and some international organizations. The site was a military camp used by the afghan army during the Afghanistan war and later turned into a hospital. Following the strikes, Afghanistan claimed that a Pakistani airstrike
struck the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in
Kabul, reportedly killing over 200 people, mostly drug addicts undergoing treatment at the drug rehabilitation facility. Pakistan denied the claims and said that it had only targeted Taliban military installations. While the health ministry spokesperson maintained that there were "more than 200 martyrs and more than 200 injured," deputy government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat claimed death toll was at least "double" that, with 250 wounded.
Zabihullah Mujahid declared it a "crime against humanity".
24 March 209 Al Fatah Corps strikes, Balkh Following the expiration of temporary ceasefire that lasted between 18 to 24 March during the Islamic holiday of
Eid al-Fitr, on the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey., Pakistani Air Force carried out a drone strike targeting the
209 Al-Fatah Corps in Balkh province during the night of 24 March, according to local Afghan sources. ==Structure==