This deteriorating border security scene between Islamabad and Kabul was on a dramatic display on today, when Afghan military officials and police confirmed the downing of a Pakistani fighter jet over Jalalabad, Afghanistan. One such incident, escalating regional tension, reportedly saw the pilot of the aircraft captured alive after parachuting into the city’s sixth district.
The Downing and Capture
The Pakistani jet became involved with Afghan defense systems ahead of a morning sortie, Tayeb Hammad, the police spokesperson for Nangarhar province, said. Witnesses in Jalalabad heard the rumble of jet engines and two large explosions. A single parachute was seen descending on a residential neighborhood a short time before the Afghan security forces came and apprehended the man, the footage circulated on social media.
“A Pakistani fighter jet was shot down in the sixth district of Jalalabad city, and its pilot was captured alive,” Hammad said. Wahidullah Mohammadi, a spokesman for the military in eastern part of Afghanistan also confirmed the report, saying the pilot had also been transferred to a secure location reportedly Kabul for further investigation, it was said.
Background: Operation ‘Ghazab lil Haq’
This incident occurs in the midst of what Khawaja Asif, Pakistan's Defence Minister, has called officially an "open war." Friday Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil Haq (Wrath for Truth), an aerial assault to destroy what it termed the infrastructure of terrorism in the country's main cities, including some major Afghan cities such as Kabul and Kandahar. Islamabad has argued that these air strikes are a necessary response to a spate of cross-border militant attacks by groups harbored by the Taliban.
In just the past 48 hours, Pakistan’s military has killed almost 300 combatants and destroyed dozens of posts, according to Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar. Afghanistan's Retaliation. The Taliban government of Afghanistan has forcefully denied sheltering militants and has said Pakistani air strikes are a violation of its national sovereignty.
It recently announced that retaliatory land and air operations by the Ministry of National Defense of Kabul have led to the seizure of 19 Pakistani military posts and deaths of more than 50 soldiers since Thursday night. The capture of a Pakistani airman is a huge psychological and strategic win for the Afghan forces and could provide a high-value bargaining tool in any future talks.
International Reaction
The international community has sounded the alarm about recent escalation. Russia, China and Iran have all called for an immediate end of hostilities and offered to mediate dialogue. On Saturday morning, U.S. President Donald Trump, noting his “terrific” relationship with Pakistani leadership, declared that he had not intervened directly. The fate of the seized pilot is still a key element of concern for regional stability, especially amid both countries reinforcing their borders and the rhetoric in both capitals reaching fever pitch.
