Afghan Forces Claim Pakistani Jet Shot Down Near Jalalabad, Pilot Captured Alive

Last Updated:February 28, 2026, 16:18 IST

Afghan forces shot down a Pakistani fighter jet over Jalalabad, detaining the pilot. Pakistan denied the claim.

Afghan security officials on Saturday said they shot down a Pakistani fighter jet over Jalalabad city and detained the pilot after he parachuted from the aircraft.

According to local authorities, the aircraft went down in the sixth district of the eastern Afghan city. Police spokesperson Tayeb Hammad said the pilot survived the crash and was taken into custody by Afghan forces.

Military officials also confirmed the development. Wahidullah Mohammadi, spokesperson for the Afghan military in eastern Afghanistan, said the jet had been brought down by Afghan forces and the pilot was captured alive.

Residents in the area told AFP that they saw a man parachuting from the aircraft before he was detained. An AFP journalist present in Jalalabad reported hearing a jet flying overhead, followed by two explosions from the direction of the city’s airport.

Pakistan, however, rejected the claim. Foreign ministry spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said the reports were incorrect. “That’s a false claim. Totally untrue," he told AFP.

The reported incident comes amid escalating tensions between the two countries. On Friday, Pakistan carried out air strikes in the Afghan capital Kabul and in Kandahar in the south, where Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada is based.

These strikes followed a border offensive launched by Afghan forces late on Thursday. The Taliban government said the operation was carried out in response to earlier Pakistani strikes inside Afghanistan.

(With inputs from AFP)

News world Afghan Forces Claim Pakistani Jet Shot Down Near Jalalabad, Pilot Captured Alive

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