Operation Sindoor Echoes as Afghanistan Hit Pakistan’s Nur Khan Airbase

Afghanistan has announced a dramatic escalation in regional tensions, claiming it carried out airstrikes on key Pakistani military installations, including the strategically vital Nur Khan Airbase. The strikes come amid intensifying cross-border hostilities, even as West Asia remains engulfed in a widening conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.

What did Afghanistan claim about the strikes?

Amid escalated cross-border tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Ministry of National Defense of the Islamic Emirate stated that it had carried out airstrikes on major military installations in Pakistan, including the Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, describing the action as a response to Pakistani air raids on Afghan territory.

In a post on X, the Ministry of National Defence of Afghanistan stated that the Afghan Air Force conducted "effective airstrikes" targeting important Pakistani military facilities.

According to the statement, the strikes include the Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, the 12th Brigade base in Quetta, Balochistan, and the Khoizai camp in the Mohmand Agency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, along with other military sites housing key facilities and centres.

"The Air Force of the National Defense Ministry today once again carried out effective airstrikes on important military bases in Pakistan. These strikes included Nur Khan Base in Rawalpindi, and the 12th Brigade base in Quetta, Balochistan, and the Khoizai camp in the Mohmand Agency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and some other military sites in Pakistan that house important military facilities and centers. These attacks resulted in significant damage to these targets," the post read.

Meanwhile, the Afghan defence ministry also stated that the operation was launched in retaliation for airstrikes that were carried out by the Pakistani army on Kabul, Bagram and other areas "last night and today".

"According to preliminary information, these attacks have resulted in significant damage to the mentioned targets. This operation was carried out in response to the airstrikes launched by the Pakistani army, which targeted Kabul, Bagram, and some other areas last night and today," the post read.

Warning against further escalation, the ministry added that any violation of Afghan airspace or "lack of respect by the evil parties in Pakistan" would be met with a strong response.

Has Nur Khan Airbase been targeted before?

Notably, the Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi's Chakala also suffered significant damage in May last year following India's coordinated strikes on key military installations in Pakistan, which came as part of Operation Sindoor, in retaliatory action by the Indian Armed Forces.

The Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7, as a retaliatory response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

Satellite images captured by Maxar Technologies on May 13 revealed significant damage to multiple air bases in Pakistan, including Nur Khan Air Base.

Images show damage to four Pakistani air bases: Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi, PAF Base Mushaf in Sargodha, Bholari Air Base, and PAF Base Shahbaz in Jacobabad.

Satellite images taken on April 25, 2025, and May 10, 2025, showed damage to airbase facilities, confirming strikes on Nur Khan Air Base.

How does this escalation unfold amid the Israel-Iran-US conflict?

The recent reports of cross-border strikes mark a sharp escalation in tensions between the two neighbouring countries.

Even as Kabul and Islamabad trade accusations, West Asia remains gripped by a broader war. Iran continues to strike US assets across the Gulf after the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and up to 40 top Iranian officials. The attacks have killed one person in Bahrain, with Iraq and Kuwait reporting more Iranian raids.

Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, has refuted US media claims that he had made a fresh push to resume nuclear talks with Washington.

Israel says it is striking at the “heart of Tehran” and is launching attacks on Lebanon after Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets at northern Israel. Lebanon’s Health Ministry says more than 30 killed in the Israeli attacks.

Iranian state media says Israeli attacks have killed at least 20 people in Tehran’s Niloofar Square and caused damage to the Gandhi Hospital and a police building.

Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Israel have hit the cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and killed at least nine people in the central city of Beit Shemesh.

US President Donald Trump has warned that attacks on Iran will continue until all of Washington’s objectives are achieved, and has promised to avenge the deaths of three US soldiers.

(With inputs from ANI)