Taliban claims attack on Pakistani military sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The Taliban Defense Ministry announced that its forces conducted strikes early Friday on military centers and facilities of the Pakistani army in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in response to recent Pakistani attacks. Enayatullah Khorazmi, spokesman for the ministry, released video footage on X showing a drone flight and stated that the Kohat military fortress was targeted. He claimed the strikes destroyed military facilities, command centers, warehouses, and barracks, inflicting heavy casualties and damage.

RTA reported that during Operation Redalzulm, the Kohat fortress, a supply hub for Pakistani military operations in areas including Parachinar, Sadi, Khyber, and Kharma, was hit by long-range attacks, damaging weapons and ammunition depots.

Zabihullah Mujahid, Taliban government spokesman, said Pakistani aircraft struck areas including Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, and Paktika overnight, targeting civilian homes in some locations and killing women and children. He specified that fuel depots of Kam Air near Kandahar airport were hit, along with a commercial fuel depot of Haji Khan Zadah. Khalid Zadran, Taliban police spokesman in Kabul, reported four civilians killed and 15 wounded in airstrikes on residential areas in Kabul's 21st district.

The International Human Rights Foundation condemned Pakistani shelling on March 12 in Khost's Alisher district, which killed three children and wounded at least six civilians, calling for an immediate, impartial investigation.

No immediate comment came from Pakistani officials on the Taliban claims. Fighting intensified on February 26 after Afghanistan launched a border offensive in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes. The UN reported 56 civilians killed, including 24 children, from February 26 to March 5, and nearly 66,000 Afghans displaced. Taliban claimed over 150 Pakistani soldiers killed; Pakistan reported 12 soldiers killed and 27 wounded, claiming more than 580 Taliban casualties.