Pakistan-Afghanistan Tensions: Amid escalated military tensions with Pakistan, Afghanistan has claimed that it shot down one of the American-made F-16 fighter jets during Islamabad's airstrike on Thursday. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), 'Afghanistan Defence' shared a video of a burning F-16, further stating that the fighter aircraft was shut down by the Afghan forces. While the video has not been authenticated by the Daily Jagran, the numbers '85510' are visible near the exhaust, along with a Pakistani flag.
Did Taliban Shoot Down F-16 Fighter Jets?
The visuals surfaced hours after Pakistan conducted airstrikes against the militants in several cities of Afghanistan, including Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktika. While 'Afghanistan Defence' has stated that it shot down the prestigious F-16, Pakistan has not addressed the issue yet. However, X's AI engine, Grok, clarified that the video is not real, adding that the wrong footage was used for propaganda.
"No, this video isn't real as claimed. The wreckage shows a large aircraft with tail number 85510 and Pakistani markings, but it doesn't resemble an F-16 fighter (wrong size/shape)...It's likely old/unrelated footage misattributed for propaganda," Grok said.
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Earlier in a post on X, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, declared "open war" by stating that the continuous provocation from Afghanistan has led to the attack.
"After the withdrawal of NATO forces, it was expected that there would be peace in Afghanistan and that the Taliban would focus on the interests of the Afghan people and peace in the region...They gathered all the terrorists of the world in Afghanistan and began exporting terrorism. They deprived their own people of basic human rights. They snatched away the rights that Islam grants to women," his post read.
"Our cup of patience has overflowed. Now it is open war between us and you. Now it will be 'Dama Dam Mast Qalandar'. Pakistan's army did not come from across the seas. We are your neighbours; we know your ins and outs. Allahu Akbar," he added.