A Pakistani fighter jet was shot down in the city of Jalalabad on Saturday, amid rising military tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Afghan security forces said the pilot was captured alive. The incident has deepened tensions between the two countries. 

According to police spokesman Tayyip Hammad, a Pakistani fighter jet flying in the administrative area number 6 of Jalalabad city was shot down. “The pilot was captured alive after the jet was shot down,” he said. Wahidullah Mohammadi, a spokesman for the army in eastern Afghanistan, also confirmed that Afghan forces had shot down the jet and captured the pilot. 

An AFP journalist said the loud sound of the jet was heard over Jalalabad, followed by two powerful explosions from the city’s airport. Security has been tightened around the scene. When asked for comment, Pakistan’s military and information ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The recent escalation of clashes and airstrikes in the border area has strained relations between the two countries.

Earlier, Pakistan carried out airstrikes in the Afghan capital Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar on Friday. Kandahar is considered a base for Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. According to the Pakistani side, the airstrikes came after the Afghan army launched an operation against Pakistan in the border area on Thursday night. The Taliban government, however, said the move was in response to earlier Pakistani attacks on Afghan soil. The new developments have added uncertainty to regional security and indicate that military activity between the two sides could increase further.

More than 300 Afghan soldiers killed: Pakistan

Meanwhile, according to the AP from Islamabad, Pakistan has claimed that more than 300 Afghan soldiers have been killed in a day-long artillery and airstrike inside Afghanistan. According to government figures released on Saturday amid the escalating border conflict, Afghan military posts and installations have been extensively damaged.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said more than 331 Afghan Taliban fighters had been killed and more than 500 wounded. Pakistan claimed to have destroyed 102 Afghan checkpoints, captured 22 and destroyed 163 tanks and armoured vehicles at 37 locations. State media said the air force was continuing to strike key military targets in eastern Afghanistan. The operation was a continuation of a reciprocal counter-offensive that began after attacks on Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) training camps. Pakistan has accused the TTP of operating from Afghan soil, a charge Kabul denies.

The Afghan defence ministry said overnight strikes on Pakistani military bases in Miranshah and Spin Bam had caused heavy damage. Afghan spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed and warned that Pakistan would “respond to every move.” Pakistan had previously said that 12 of its soldiers had been killed. 

Eastern Afghan officials have accused the Pakistani attack of killing at least 11 civilians. Pakistan, however, claims that only military targets were hit and that efforts were being made to avoid civilian casualties. The tension has displaced hundreds of families living in the Torkham border area. Some Afghan refugees have been stranded because they have not been able to cross the border. Locals, who are facing food shortages during the fasting month of Ramadan, have demanded a ceasefire. 

Dozens of soldiers and civilians have been killed in the fighting since October. The Qatar-brokered ceasefire has not been sustainable. Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and China are now trying to mediate again. Qatar’s Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulayifi is holding talks with the foreign ministers of both countries to de-escalate tensions. 

US support for Pakistan

Pakistan has received widespread international support for its airstrikes in Afghanistan. The US has expressed support, saying that Pakistan has the right to defend its country and people against the Taliban attack. This has given a new diplomatic dimension to the growing military tension in the border area. Pakistan said that it launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan on Friday morning in response to the attack from across the border on Thursday night. According to Pakistan's information minister, 37 locations have been targeted in airstrikes since the operation began. 

Prime Minister's spokesman Musharraf Zaidi said that a "prompt and effective response to the attack is ongoing." Although there was no clear confirmation of further attacks overnight, officials indicated that operations were ongoing. US Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Alison Hooker expressed support for Pakistan's right to self-defense on social media after talks with her Pakistani counterpart. Meanwhile, the Taliban government has rejected accusations that it is harboring terrorists and called for talks to resolve the conflict.

Afghan forces killed 55 Pakistani soldiers and captured others, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said, adding that 13 Afghan soldiers were killed. Pakistan claimed 297 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed. Islamabad had earlier said 12 of its soldiers had been killed. Afghan deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said at least 19 civilians were killed in Khost and Paktika provinces. Neither side's claims could be independently verified. 

Analysts say this is the first time Pakistan has focused its airstrikes on Afghan government structures, which are said to be more severe than previous operations. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply in recent months. The border crossing between the two countries has been mostly closed since fighting last October left more than 70 people dead.

Islamabad has accused Kabul of failing to control groups such as the TTP, a charge the Taliban denies. Zaidi said there was no major clash on the border overnight, but a Pakistani post near Khost was attacked. As tensions rose, China, Britain, the United Nations, the Red Cross, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have called for restraint and a return to talks. In Geneva, the head of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric, said humanitarian aid was on standby but political will was needed for a lasting solution.