After the Nur Khan airbase attack, Afghanistan claims it destroyed Pakistan's Kohat military base

The conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan intensified after Kabul claimed it carried out fresh retaliatory strikes on Pakistani military infrastructure, including the destruction of the Kohat military base, days after targeting the strategically sensitive Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi. Afghan officials described the strikes as part of coordinated aerial operations responding to earlier Pakistani air raids on Afghan territory.

According to Afghanistan’s defence ministry, drone attacks hit the Kohat Military Fort, described as a major war command centre near the Durand Line. Military installations, depots and soldiers’ residential quarters were damaged or destroyed in the operation, the ministry said in a statement posted on X.

Escalation after cross-border shelling in Khost

The retaliation followed Pakistani artillery fire on areas in the Alisher-Terezai district of Khost province near the border. Afghan media reported that at least four members of a family were killed and three others injured in the shelling.

Fuel depot strike near Kandahar airport

Afghan officials also accused the Pakistan Air Force of targeting fuel depots belonging to private carrier Kam Air near Kandahar Airport. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the facilities supplied fuel to domestic airlines as well as aircraft operated by the United Nations.

Nur Khan airbase strike marked earlier escalation

The latest claims follow Afghanistan’s earlier targeting of the Nur Khan airbase, a key Pakistan Air Force facility near Rawalpindi. The installation plays a central role in transport logistics, aerial refuelling operations and military command coordination, and is located close to Pakistan’s Strategic Plans Division, which oversees the country’s nuclear arsenal.

Precedent from India’s Operation Sindoor

Nur Khan had also been struck during India’s Operation Sindoor last year, when an Indian missile reportedly damaged a Pakistan Air Force command-and-control centre. Satellite imagery released later confirmed structural damage, with analysts describing the strike as a turning point in that confrontation.

Rising border tensions and recent airstrikes

The exchange of strikes comes amid a sharp escalation in hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan since February, including reported Pakistani airstrikes on Kabul and other Afghan cities.

Durand line dispute and militant activity

Tensions between the two countries have remained high since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, largely due to disputes over the Durand Line and Pakistan’s demand that Kabul act against militant groups such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. Islamabad has accused Afghanistan of harbouring the group, which operates independently but shares ideological ties with the Afghan Taliban.

Growing insurgent violence in border provinces

Armed attacks by the TTP and the Balochistan Liberation Army have increased in recent years, particularly in Pakistan’s border provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, both of which have witnessed frequent cross-border clashes and insurgent violence.