Afghanistan's Ministry of National Defense said the Afghan Air Force carried out strikes on strategic Pakistani military facilities in the Kohat area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday, in response to what it described as overnight raids by Pakistani forces in Beka.
In a post on X, the ministry said Afghan aircraft targeted military installations, including a fort and command facilities near the Durand Line.
“In response to the Pakistani military regime's night raids in Beka, Afghan Air Force targeted strategic military centers and facilities of Pakistani troops in Kohat area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this morning,” the ministry said in a post on X.
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د پاکستان پوځي رژیم د بیګا شپې تجاوزونو په غبرګون کې افغان هوایي ځواکونو نن سهار د خیبر پښتونخوا کوهاټ سیمه کې د پاکستاني پوځیانو ستراتيژیک نظامي مراکز او تأسیسات په نښه کړل.
— د ملي دفاع وزارت - وزارت دفاع ملی (@MoDAfghanistan2) March 13, 2026
په بریدونو کې د کوهاټ پوځي قلعه وویشتل شوه او pic.twitter.com/H7qnrBoINd
It added that “the Kohat military fortress was struck, while the war command center along the Durand Line located approximately two kilometers from the fort along with the office of the fort's commander, was also precisely targeted.”
“As a result of these strikes, the fort's military installations, the command center, depots, and soldiers' residential quarters were destroyed, resulting in significant human and material losses. Alhamdulillah wa Al-Minna,” the statement said.
Pakistan has not officially confirmed the Afghan claims.
The escalation comes as Afghanistan's Taliban government accused Pakistan of launching overnight airstrikes that killed civilians in Kabul and the southern province of Kandahar.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on X that Pakistani aircraft struck civilian areas, killing four people, including women and children. He also alleged that fuel depots belonging to private airline Kam Air near Kandahar airport were targeted.
استمرارًا للاعتداءات والجرائم السابقة، قام النظام العسكري الباكستاني مرة أخرى بقصف كابل وقندهار وبكتيا وبكتيكا وبعض المناطق الأخرى.
— Zabihullah (..ذبـــــیح الله م ) (@Zabehulah_M33) March 13, 2026
وفي بعض الأماكن استهدف منازل المدنيين، مما أدى إلى استشهاد نساء وأطفال، وفي أماكن أخرى استهدف صحارى خالية ومناطق غير مأهولة.
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Al-Jazeera reported that the Pakistani security sources, however, said the military conducted “successful airstrikes” on “four terrorist hideouts” in Kabul and frontier regions, and destroyed an oil storage facility at Kandahar airport.
Abdul Wahid, a 29-year-old daily labourer, told AFP that he and several members of his family were injured when their house was hit during the strikes.
“Suddenly, a noise came from another house. I don't know what happened afterwards. All these bricks fell on me. Women and children were under the rubble as well,” he said.
“I was there for 10 minutes as if it was my last breath. Then my neighbours came and removed the bricks … and took us to the clinic.”
The latest exchange comes as fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan enters its third week, amid a broader regional crisis linked to the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
Cross-border hostilities intensified on Feb. 26 when Afghanistan launched an offensive along the shared border, which it said was in retaliation for earlier Pakistani airstrikes targeting the Pakistan Taliban.
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On Thursday, Taliban authorities said four members of the same family, including two children, were killed by Pakistani artillery and mortar fire in eastern Afghanistan.
According to authorities in Kabul, at least seven people have been killed in Afghanistan since Tuesday in cross-border clashes, a toll that could rise following the latest attacks.
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said 56 civilians, including 24 children, were killed by Pakistani military operations between Feb. 26 and March 5.
Pakistani officials said about 12 soldiers were killed and 27 wounded in the latest fighting, while the Taliban claims more than 150 Pakistani troops were killed.
The UN estimates that roughly 115,000 people have been displaced due to the escalating violence.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused Kabul of harbouring fighters from the Pakistan Taliban and an ISIS affiliate in Khorasan province responsible for attacks inside Pakistan. Afghan authorities have denied the allegations.
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