Pakistani jets conduct airstrikes in Kandahar; local sources claim Taliban leader's special forces targeted

Pakistani fighter jets carried out three airstrikes in Kandahar province on the night of March 14-15, 2026, amid ongoing cross-border tensions with the Taliban.

Local sources in Kandahar told Amu TV that the first strike hit a special forces unit of Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada in the city's 9th district, near the old house of Mullah Omar, where the unit was reportedly training. The sources said the jets also targeted a Taliban ammunition depot and a border command post in the province. They added that after the initial strike, shooting occurred from Mullah Omar's house, known locally as the 'Mullah Sahib' house, toward the jets. Pakistani jets were also reported patrolling over the Spin Boldak and Shorabak districts.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied the claims, stating the strikes hit a section of a drug addicts' hospital with no casualties and an empty container that had previously served as a military outpost. He said Pakistan had violated Afghan airspace but caused no harm.

The strikes are part of Pakistani airstrikes and artillery attacks on Kandahar, Kabul and eastern Afghanistan that have continued for more than two weeks. Local Taliban officials reported clashes along the borders of Khost and Paktika provinces with Pakistan, as well as dozens of rockets fired by Pakistani artillery into Kunar province, destroying a school.

The Taliban have responded with retaliatory attacks, and a spokesman for the Pakistani prime minister said the operations would not stop until terrorism from Afghan soil ceases. There are no signs of the tensions abating.