{"id":6514,"date":"2026-03-02T16:42:45","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T16:42:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jubaglobal.com\/?p=6514"},"modified":"2026-05-10T00:23:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T22:23:29","slug":"pakistan-accused-of-attempted-strike-on-afghan-air-base-amid-regional-instability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/pakistan-accused-of-attempted-strike-on-afghan-air-base-amid-regional-instability\/","title":{"rendered":"Pakistan Accused of Attempted Strike on Afghan Air Base Amid Regional Instability"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\nAs the US-Israel war on Iran enters its third day and sends shockwaves across the Middle East, a new flashpoint has emerged on the other side of Asia. On M<\/span>
\nPakistan, Accused, Attempted, Strike, Afghan<\/span>
\nPakistan Accused of Attempted Strike on Afghan Air Base Amid Regional Instability.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

As the US-Israel war on Iran enters its third day and sends shockwaves across the Middle East, a new flashpoint has emerged on the other side of Asia. On March 1, 2026, the Afghan Taliban government accused Pakistan of launching an attempted drone or missile strike on the strategic Bagram Air Base\u2014formerly the largest U.S. military installation in Afghanistan\u2014claiming the attack was thwarted by Afghan air defenses. The allegation, if confirmed, marks one of the most serious direct military confrontations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors since the Taliban\u2019s return to power in 2021 and raises fears of spillover violence fueled by the broader regional turmoil.<\/p>\n

The Alleged Incident<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to a statement issued by Afghanistan\u2019s Ministry of Defense on March 1 evening:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • At approximately 2:17 a.m. local time, Afghan radar detected an incoming unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) approaching Bagram Air Base from the southeast\u2014direction consistent with Pakistani airspace.<\/li>\n
  • The object was classified as hostile and engaged by Afghan surface-to-air systems (reportedly upgraded Chinese FM-90 or indigenous systems acquired post-2021).<\/li>\n
  • The UAV was downed roughly 8 km from the base perimeter; wreckage recovery teams later identified debris consistent with a Pakistani-origin Burraq or Shahpar-series armed drone.<\/li>\n
  • No casualties or significant damage were reported at Bagram, which remains under Taliban control and houses Taliban special forces units and limited foreign technical advisors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Afghan spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid accused Pakistan of \u201caggression aimed at destabilizing the Islamic Emirate\u201d and warned of \u201csevere consequences.\u201d He linked the incident to long-standing grievances: Pakistan\u2019s alleged support for anti-Taliban groups (particularly the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan or TTP), border fencing disputes, and recent cross-border skirmishes in Kurram and North Waziristan.<\/p>\n

    Pakistan\u2019s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued a swift denial on March 2:<\/p>\n

    \u201cPakistan Armed Forces have not conducted any strike inside Afghan territory. Such baseless allegations appear designed to deflect from the Afghan side\u2019s failure to control TTP sanctuaries on its soil, which continue to launch terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Context: A Long-Simmering Border Crisis<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban-led Afghanistan have steadily worsened since 2021:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Pakistan accuses the Taliban of providing safe havens to TTP militants who have carried out hundreds of attacks inside Pakistan, killing thousands of civilians and security personnel.<\/li>\n
    • The Taliban accuse Pakistan of supporting anti-Taliban resistance groups (notably the National Resistance Front in Panjshir) and conducting extrajudicial killings of Afghan refugees.<\/li>\n
    • Frequent artillery duels and airstrikes along the Durand Line have become almost routine since mid-2024.<\/li>\n
    • In January 2025, Pakistan carried out verified airstrikes inside Afghanistan targeting alleged TTP hideouts, killing dozens and prompting Afghan retaliation with mortar fire.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The alleged Bagram incident represents an escalation in both target (a high-profile former U.S. base now symbolically important to the Taliban) and method (attempted precision drone strike rather than indiscriminate shelling).<\/p>\n

      Connection to the Iran War<\/strong><\/p>\n

      While no direct causal link has been proven, analysts point to several indirect connections:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Regional Distraction<\/strong> \u2014 The intense focus on the Iran conflict may have created a perceived window of opportunity for Pakistan to act against perceived threats without immediate international backlash.<\/li>\n
      2. Proxy Dynamics<\/strong> \u2014 Iran\u2019s \u201cAxis of Resistance\u201d includes some Afghan Shia militias historically opposed to the Taliban. A weakened Iran could embolden anti-Taliban actors, prompting preemptive Pakistani moves.<\/li>\n
      3. U.S. Withdrawal Vacuum<\/strong> \u2014 With U.S. attention fixed on the Gulf, Pakistan may feel less constrained in dealing with cross-border threats.<\/li>\n
      4. Nuclear Shadow<\/strong> \u2014 Both nations are nuclear-armed; any miscalculation risks rapid escalation in a region already on edge.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        International Reactions<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \n
        • United Nations<\/strong> \u2014 Called for \u201cmaximum restraint\u201d and urged both sides to use existing channels (including the Quadrilateral Coordination Group framework) to de-escalate.<\/li>\n
        • China<\/strong> \u2014 Beijing, Pakistan\u2019s closest ally and major investor in Afghanistan, quietly urged both parties to avoid actions that could destabilize the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Belt and Road projects.<\/li>\n
        • United States<\/strong> \u2014 The Pentagon issued a brief statement: \u201cWe are monitoring reports closely. Bagram remains Afghan sovereign territory; any external military action there is concerning.\u201d<\/li>\n
        • India<\/strong> \u2014 New Delhi has remained silent publicly but is widely believed to be watching closely given its own tense border dynamics with Pakistan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          What Comes Next?<\/strong><\/p>\n

          As of March 2, no independent verification of the drone wreckage or launch origin has emerged. Satellite imagery analysts are examining commercial sources for launch signatures or debris fields.<\/p>\n

          If the allegation is substantiated, it would represent a serious breach of sovereignty and could trigger retaliatory Afghan actions\u2014potentially airstrikes on Pakistani border posts or increased support for anti-Pakistan militants. If disproven, it risks further eroding already fragile trust between Islamabad and Kabul.<\/p>\n

          In a week already defined by missile barrages in the Gulf, friendly-fire losses in Kuwait, and nuclear safety fears at the IAEA, the alleged Bagram incident serves as a stark reminder: the ripple effects of the Iran war are spreading unpredictably, threatening to ignite multiple flashpoints across an already volatile arc from the Levant to the Hindu Kush.<\/p>\n

          By Juba Global News Network | JubaGlobal.com<\/em>
          March 2, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n

          Stay tuned for live updates as this fast-moving story develops.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          As the US-Israel war on Iran enters its third day and sends shockwaves across the Middle East, a new flashpoint has emerged on the other side of Asia. On M<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1199,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[830,643,1,782],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-more-articles","category-news","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1199"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6514"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22274,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6514\/revisions\/22274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}