Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict 2026: Border clashes escalate as Kabul claims attacks on military bases

A Taliban security personnel stands guard near an anti-aircraft gun while keeping watch for Pakistani airstrikes in the Tere Zayi district of Khost province on 2 March. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)

Afghanistan claims to have conducted a series of airstrikes against military targets in Pakistan on 2 March, escalating the two countries' conflict into its fifth consecutive day.

The escalation could increase the risk of wider regional instability, particularly given ongoing regional conflict involving Iran and the brief Pakistan-Iran exchange of cross-border strikes in early 2024.

In a post on X, the Afghanistan Ministry of National Defence (MND) said it had carried out “precise and co-ordinated aerial operations against key military installations in Pakistan”. The post was accompanied by footage of an unidentified unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

The Pakistan government had not commented on the claimed strikes at the time of publication.

According to Afghanistan's MND, the Taliban's strikes targeted “the Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, the 12th Division headquarters in Quetta, Balochistan, [and] the Khwazai Camp in the Mohmand Agency of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa”.

It added that it had also conducted strikes against “several other significant Pakistani military facilities and command centres… Based on preliminary assessments, the strikes successfully caused significant damage to the intended targets”.

Targeted facilities

Nur Khan Air Base operates principally as a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) air transport wing. Aircraft deployed from the facility include the Lockheed Martin C‑130 Hercules, Ilyushin Il‑78, Airbus CN235, and Embraer Phenom 100 for VIP duties.

The Pakistan Army's XII Corps at Quetta Cantonment is primarily responsible for command-and-control operations, while the Pakistan Army's Khwazai (also spelt Khwaezai) Camp is assessed to be part of the Pakistan Army's XI Corps, headquartered at Peshawar.