Pakistan-Afghanistan Open War: Afghanistan Claims Pakistani F-16 Shot Down Amid Intense Airstrikes
KABUL, FEB 27, 2026 — Global tensions reached a boiling point Friday as Afghanistan’s Taliban government claimed to have shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet during a day of unprecedented cross-border violence.
The bold assertion, first reported by Tolo News, was accompanied by dramatic, unverified video footage circulating on social media showing burning wreckage purportedly bearing Pakistani military markings and serial numbers.
The alleged downing occurred just hours after Pakistan’s Defense Minister declared a state of “open war,” launching a massive aerial campaign dubbed Operation Ghazab Lil-haq against targets in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia.
While Afghan defense sources insist the US-made jet was intercepted after violating their airspace, Islamabad has flatly denied the loss of any aircraft, maintaining that all assets returned safely following strikes on what they termed “militant hideouts.”
With both nations reporting dozens of casualties and independent verification of the wreckage still pending, the spiraling conflict has effectively shattered recent mediation efforts by Qatar and Turkey, pushing the neighbors into their most dangerous military confrontation in decades.