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Heavy weapons and ammunition seized from retreating Taliban forces are displayed amid the ongoing operation Ghazab Lil Haq.
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistani airstrikes hit Taliban military installations in major urban centers in Afghanistan as part of “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq” launched in response to “unprovoked and miscalculated” attacks on Pakistani border posts on Thursday.
Taliban regime officials confirmed airstrikes deep inside Afghanistan – as far as the capital Kabul, but they would downplay their losses. However, residents of Kabul reported hearing secondary explosions for hours that rattled homes across the Afghan capital.
Video verified by Reuters showed thick plumes of black smoke rising over Darulaman, a residential neighborhood in western Kabul that also houses several government and military compounds, as a fire engulfed part of the depot and repeated flashes lit up the night sky as ammunition ignited inside.
Residents said the bombardment began shortly after midnight. “We were sleeping when we heard the sound of a plane,” said Tamim, a taxi driver who lives near the depot. “It came and dropped two bombs and then flew away again. Then we heard explosions.”
He said the initial explosions were followed by continuous detonations as stored ammunition caught fire. “The ammunition inside the depot kept exploding by itself,” he said. “Everyone ran down from the second floor of the house in panic.”
Tamim said the fire burned until about 10 p.m. 06.00, where it was brought under control. “The fire was very intense. We were extremely scared and even planned to leave the area,” he said.
Danish, a 35-year-old pharmacist who lives about 10 minutes from the depot, said he had been alert to news of rising tensions. “I couldn’t sleep again until tomorrow.”
Reuters witnesses elsewhere in Kabul reported hearing loud explosions and the sound of planes, followed by ambulance sirens cutting through the night.
Mohammad Ali, 31, who sells mobile electrical accessories, said he was at a guest house when an explosion occurred at around 10 p.m. 02.00 woke them up. “At first we thought it was an earthquake,” he said, but soon realized it was gunshots.
Afghanistan is already gripped by poverty, unemployment and increasing hunger since a collapse in aid supplies after the Taliban recaptured Kabul in 2021 following a two-decade insurgency against the US-backed government.
For many in the capital, the strike revived memories of past conflicts.
Facing heavy casualties in Pakistan’s blitzkrieg, the Taliban regime said it was willing to negotiate with Islamabad as international calls for de-escalation grew. The regime’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghanistan wants to resolve the conflict with Pakistan through dialogue.
