.
Heavy weapons and ammunition seized from retreating Taliban forces are on display as part of the ongoing Ghazab Lil Haq operation.
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistani airstrikes hit Taliban military installations in Afghanistan’s main urban centers on Thursday as part of “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq” launched in response to “unprovoked and miscalculated” attacks on Pakistani border posts.
Taliban regime officials have confirmed air raids deep inside Afghanistan – as far as the capital Kabul, but they are said to be downplaying their losses. However, residents of Kabul reported hearing secondary explosions for hours that shook houses in the Afghan capital.
Video verified by Reuters showed thick plumes of black smoke rising above Darulaman, a residential neighborhood in western Kabul that is also home to several government and military complexes, as a fire ravaged part of the depot and repeated flashes lit up the night sky as munitions ignited inside.
Residents said the shelling 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, then flew away again. After that we heard explosions.”
He said the initial explosions were followed by continuous detonations as stored munitions caught fire. “The munitions inside the depot kept exploding on their own,” he explained. “Everyone, in panic, ran down from the second floor of the house.”
Tamim said the fire lasted until around 6 a.m., when 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 was left awake following news of rising tensions. “I couldn’t sleep until morning.”
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 around 2 a.m. startled them awake. “At first we thought it was an earthquake,” he said, but we soon realized it was gunshots.
Afghanistan is already plagued by poverty, unemployment and worsening hunger since aid deliveries collapsed following the Taliban’s recapture of Kabul in 2021, following a two-decade insurgency against the U.S.-backed government.
For many people in the capital, the strike has revived memories of past conflicts.
Shaken by the heavy losses suffered during the Pakistani blitzkrieg, the Taliban regime declared itself ready to negotiate with Islamabad as international calls for de-escalation increased. Regime spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghanistan wanted to resolve the conflict with Pakistan through dialogue.
