'Precision Strikes': Taliban Hits Pakistan's Nur Khan Airbase, Quetta Headquarters In 'Open War'

Last Updated:March 02, 2026, 09:52 IST

The airbase is considered a critical hub for Pakistan’s air mobility assets & plays a key logistical role in supporting Pakistan Army General HQ infrastructure in Rawalpindi

The Taliban-led Ministry of National Defence in Afghanistan has announced that its air force carried out what it described as “precise and coordinated aerial operations" against several major Pakistani military installations, marking a sharp escalation in tensions along the Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier.

In a statement attributed to top Taliban sources, officials said the strikes targeted the Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, the headquarters of Pakistan’s 12th Division in Quetta, Balochistan, and the Khwazai Camp in Mohmand Agency, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Additional unnamed military facilities and command centers were also reportedly hit.

Taliban officials claimed the attacks caused “significant damage" based on preliminary assessments. They framed the operations as retaliation for what they alleged were recent Pakistani aerial incursions into Afghan territory, including strikes in Kabul, Bagram, and other regions overnight and earlier in the day.

“It should be emphasised that any further violations of our airspace or acts of aggression by hostile Pakistani elements will be met with a swift, decisive, and proportionate response," the ministry said in its statement.

The reported targeting of Nur Khan Airbase is particularly notable. The installation is considered a critical hub for Pakistan’s air mobility assets and plays a key logistical role in supporting Pakistan Army General Headquarters infrastructure in Rawalpindi. Taliban sources claimed the operation exposed vulnerabilities at the strategically significant base.

The developments signal a potentially dangerous escalation between the two neighbouring countries, whose relations have long been strained by cross-border militancy, airspace violations, and security operations. Analysts warn that direct strikes on high-value military targets could trigger a broader confrontation if diplomatic channels fail to contain the crisis.

Months of cross-border clashes have flared again since Thursday, when Afghanistan launched an offensive along the frontier, with Pakistani forces hitting back on the border and from the skies. The renewed violence came after Afghan residents and officials said troops from both countries had been battling along the border, with the fighting coming alongside multiple strikes, including the former US air base at Bagram.

The violence of recent days is the worst since October fighting killed more than 70 people on both sides, with land borders between the neighbours largely shut since.

News world 'Precision Strikes': Taliban Hits Pakistan's Nur Khan Airbase, Quetta Headquarters In 'Open War'

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