Issued on: 28/02/2026 - 07:03Modified: 28/02/2026 - 14:24
Explosions rocked Jalalabad on Saturday morning as Pakistani authorities said they had targeted 37 Afghan locations since operations began. Afghanistan's military said it captured a Pakistani pilot who crashed in the eastern Afghan city, a claim Islamabad immediately denied. Read our liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded.
This liveblog is no longer being updated. You can find more of our coverage of the conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan here.
EU urges 'de-escalation' between Afghanistan and Pakistan
Pakistan says it killed more than 300 Afghan forces in several days of air strikes
Pakistan says Afghanistan jet crash claim 'totally untrue'
Afghan military, police claim Pakistani fighter jet crashes in Jalalabad, pilot captured
A Pakistani jet has crashed in Jalalabad city and the pilot was captured alive, the Afghan military and police said, with residents saying the man parachuted from the plane before being detained.
"A Pakistani fighter jet was shot down in the sixth district of Jalalabad city and its pilot was captured alive," police spokesman Tayeb Hammad said.
Wahidullah Mohammadi, spokesman for the military in eastern Afghanistan, confirmed the Pakistani jet was downed by Afghan forces "and the pilot was captured alive".
Iran offers to help 'facilitate dialogue' between Afghanistan, Pakistan
Iran offered to help facilitate dialogue between Afghanistan and Pakistan after Islamabad declared the neighbours at "open war".
"The Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to provide any assistance necessary to facilitate dialogue and to enhance understanding and cooperation between the two countries," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X.
Later on Friday, his ministry urged the "two sides to respect each other's territorial integrity and national sovereignty and to refrain from any action that could escalate tensions and conflict".
Pakistan says it targeted at least 37 locations across Afghanistan
Pakistan's information minister said that 37 locations across Afghanistan had been subject to aerial targeting since the operation began.
US backs Pakistan's 'right to defend itself' after strikes on Afghanistan
The US State Department said on Friday it supported Pakistan's "right to defend itself" against attacks from Afghanistan's Taliban rulers.
"We continue to monitor the situation closely and expressed support for Pakistan's right to defend itself against Taliban attacks," Allison Hooker, the under secretary of state for political affairs, wrote on X after talks with a Pakistani counterpart.
EU's Kallas urges Afghanistan and Pakistan to de-escalate, engage in dialogue
The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called for Afghanistan and Pakistan to de-escalate and engage in dialogue after a sharp increase in violence between the South Asian countries.
"The EU reiterates that Afghan territory must not be used to threaten or attack other countries and calls on the Afghan de facto authorities to take effective action against all terrorist groups operating in or from Afghanistan," Kallas said in a statement.
Two blasts rock Afghanistan's Jalalabad city: AFP journalist
Two loud explosions rocked Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan this morning, an AFP journalist said, a day after Pakistani air strikes hit other Afghan cities.
The AFP journalist reported hearing a jet overhead before blasts from the direction of the airport in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, which sits on the road between Kabul and the Pakistani border.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the deadly fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
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