The Pakistani army has struck Bagram Air Base, satellite tv for pc photographs obtained by The New York Instances present, marking a dramatic escalation in its struggle with Afghanistan and focusing on one of many Taliban authorities’s most prized army belongings.
Afghan authorities initially mentioned their air defence methods had intercepted the strike. Nevertheless, the satellite tv for pc photographs confirmed explosions inside the compound and vital structural harm to sections of Bagram, which as soon as served as the biggest US army base in Afghanistan.
Satellite tv for pc photographs captured on Sunday morning revealed that at the very least one plane hangar and two massive warehouses within the northern part of Bagram have been flattened. A Pakistani army official, talking anonymously, confirmed that a number of strikes have been carried out to destroy tools and provides. Nevertheless, the official declined to specify the targets.
Residents within the close by city of Bagram, about 60 km north of Kabul, mentioned they heard at the very least two explosions shortly after 6 am, together with the sound of a jet overhead. Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry described the incident as an “aerial assault” however didn’t affirm the extent of the harm.
Officers in Parwan province, the place Bagram is located, mentioned Pakistani jets entered Afghan airspace round 5 am and tried to bomb the bottom, claiming Afghan forces responded with anti-aircraft and missile defence methods and thwarted the assault. Pakistan has not publicly responded to that declare.
Pakistan’s strike on Bagram got here after Afghanistan struck the nation’s Command and Management Centre at Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi by drones. The event assumes significance as the bottom was beforehand focused by Indian forces throughout Operation Sindoor.
WHY PAKISTAN TARGETED BAGRAM?
Bagram Air Base holds immense symbolic and strategic worth. As soon as the nerve centre of America’s 20-year struggle in Afghanistan, it grew to become a serious trophy for the Taliban after US forces withdrew in 2021. The bottom, which has Afghanistan’s longest runway at 11,800 toes, was utilized by the Taliban to parade captured army {hardware} on the anniversary of their return to energy.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly argued that Washington ought to by no means have deserted Bagram on account of its proximity to China.
Afghan International Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi had rejected these calls earlier this 12 months, saying Kabul seeks constructive relations with the US “with none army presence,” The New York Instances reported.
Pakistan’s Bagram strike got here as cross-border preventing entered its fifth day, with Pakistan declaring it’s in “open struggle” with the Taliban administration. Since final week, Islamabad has launched greater than 50 airstrikes on Afghan army targets.
Pakistan says the strikes are aimed toward dismantling terrorist infrastructure, accusing the Taliban authorities of offering protected haven to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has intensified assaults inside Pakistan since 2021. Kabul denies supporting or internet hosting the group, regardless of repeated UN and unbiased studies citing its presence in Afghanistan.
Diplomatic efforts by nations, together with Saudi Arabia and Qatar have thus far didn’t safe a everlasting ceasefire, as tensions alongside the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, generally referred to as the Durand Line, proceed to rise.
– Ends
Tune In
