Taliban Shoots Down Pakistani Fighter Jet In Afghanistan’s Jalalabad, Captures Pilot Alive As Tensions Escalate

Afghan military spokesman confirmed the incident, while residents reported the pilot’s parachute descent. The event followed recent Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan cities, including Kabul, intensifying the conflict.

Taliban fighters look up while manning an armed pickup truck at the Afghan side of the Ghulam Khan crossing with Pakistan in Khost province, Afghanistan, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Saifullah Zahir)

Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan escalated sharply on Saturday after Afghan Taliban forces reportedly shot down a Pakistani fighter jet over Jalalabad and captured its pilot alive, marking one of the most serious military flare-up incidents between the two neighbours in recent years. Wahidullah Mohammadi, spokesman for the military in eastern Afghanistan, confirmed the Pakistani jet was downed by Afghan forces, “and the pilot was captured alive”. The dramatic move comes just a day after Pakistan carried out air strikes on Kabul and Kandahar, the latter being the base of Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.

“A Pakistani fighter jet was shot down in the sixth district of Jalalabad city, and its pilot was captured alive,” police spokesman Tayeb Hammad told news agency AFP.

Residents told AFP they saw the pilot eject and parachute down before being detained. An AFP journalist reported hearing a jet roaring over Jalalabad moments before two explosions rang out near the city’s airport.

Islamabad has not yet commented publicly on the reported loss of its aircraft.

Pakistan-Afghanistan war: What is happening?

Tensions between Kabul and Islamabad have escalated, with both sides accusing one another of retaliatory strikes, raising fears of a wider military conflict in the region. On Friday, Pakistan carried out strikes on Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, and other towns, while fighting continued along the border, with both sides reporting significant casualties. Afghanistan said it is open to negotiations, Al Jazeera reported.

Islamabad declared “open war” on Kabul after carrying out airstrikes in parts of Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia, further intensifying tensions between the two neighbouring countries. In a post on X, Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, issued a strong statement declaring the “open war” against Afghanistan, stating that Islamabad has lost its patience and accusing the Taliban-led administration of harbouring militants.

Despite Islamabad’s claims, Pakistan itself has long faced international scrutiny for providing safe havens and logistical support to various terror outfits operating across the region.

Meanwhile, Kabul has categorically rejected Islamabad’s allegations that militant groups operate from Afghan territory, maintaining that Pakistan’s security challenges are an internal matter.

As border strikes between the two nations escalate, Pakistan claimed to have killed more than 270 Taliban fighters and injured over 400 others in airstrikes, while Afghanistan’s Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said its forces killed 55 Pakistani soldiers and targeted what he described as “important military objectives” inside Pakistan.