Afghan forces launch airstrikes on Pakistani military positions in retaliatory action

KABUL/ISLAMABAD, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's air force has carried out coordinated airstrikes targeting multiple Pakistani military installations, the country's Ministry of National Defense confirmed Friday.

At about 11:00 a.m. local time, Afghan forces targeted a military camp near Faizabad in Islamabad, a military base in Nowshera, military positions in Jamrud, and additional locations in Abbottabad, according to a ministry statement.

The aerial operation successfully targeted key Pakistani military bases, command centers, and strategic facilities, the statement said. Afghan officials described the strikes as a direct response to Pakistani aerial incursions conducted overnight in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia provinces.

Earlier on Friday morning, Pakistani security sources told Xinhua that Pakistan launched airstrikes on Afghan Taliban facilities, destroying key targets including a major ammunition depot, three Afghan battalions, and a sector headquarters in different areas of Afghanistan.

According to the source, Pakistan conducted the air strikes as part of Operation Ghazab Lil Haq (The Wrath of Justice), which was launched after the Afghan Taliban started attacks on Pakistani posts.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday morning that the country's armed forces possess the full capability to crush any aggressive ambitions and any act of belligerence will be responded to decisively, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office. ■