Still Reeling From India's Strikes, Pakistan's Nur Khan Air Base Hit Again By Taliban Drones

Afghan Taliban forces have reportedly carried out coordinated drone strikes on some of Pakistan's most sensitive military installations, including Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi, the 12th Division headquarters in Quetta, and multiple facilities across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The strike on Nur Khan is particularly significant as the base was among the sites targeted by Indian forces during Operation Sindoor in May 2025, and reconstruction work there was still underway when the Taliban drones hit. Afghanistan's Ministry of National Defense confirmed the strikes on its official X account, also releasing drone footage of the operations. Taliban officials separately claimed a Pakistani fighter jet was shot down over Jalalabad, with the pilot captured alive after parachuting from the aircraft a claim Pakistan has not confirmed. The strikes are the latest escalation in a rapidly deteriorating bilateral conflict. Pakistan launched airstrikes on Kabul and Kandahar on Friday, killing a claimed 133 Taliban fighters. The Taliban responded by claiming 55 Pakistani soldiers killed in cross-border attacks. Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif then declared the country was in a state of open war with Afghanistan. For Islamabad, the crisis is compounding by the day managing the Iran conflict to its west, the economic pressure of potential Gulf disruption, and now an active military confrontation on its northwestern border.