On paper, there is a wide mismatch between the military capabilities of two sides. At 172,000, the Taliban have less than a third of Pakistan‘s personnel.
The Taliban do possess at least six aircraft and 23 helicopters but their condition is unknown and they have no fighter jets or effective air force.
Pakistan‘s armed forces include more than 600,000 active personnel, have more than 6,000 armoured fighting vehicles and more than 400 combat aircraft, according to 2025 data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Archiv: Kabul (city)
Airstrikes hit Afghan capital of Kabul, hours after Afghanistan attacks Pakistan
Afghanistan said its military launched its attack across the border into Pakistan late Thursday in retaliation for deadly Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas Sunday, and claimed to have captured more than a dozen Pakistani army posts.
Pakistan’s government, which had described last Sunday’s airstrikes as an attack on militants harbored in the area, described Thursday’s Afghan attack as unprovoked, and dismissed claims that army posts had been captured.
Gen. McKenzie again says he is responsible for drone strike that killed 10 civilians but seems to defend decision to fire, citing similar intel for other successful strikes. Still a lot of questions about what transpired before strike, including civilian casualty estimates.
It happened in my area of responsibility, so I‘m the responsible officer for that strike,” McKenzie said during a Senate hearing on Tuesday.
McKenzie said he was under “no pressure” and “no one in my chain of command below me was under any pressure to take that strike.”
Pentagon admits ‚tragic mistake‘ in strike that killed 10 civilians
The Pentagon on Friday confirmed it mistook a civilian vehicle for an ISIS-K threat when it launched a drone strike on Aug. 29 in Kabul that killed 10 civilians.
Pentagon räumt Tötung von Zivilisten bei Drohnenangriff in Kabul ein
Es seien zehn Zivilisten, darunter bis zu sieben Kinder, bei dem Angriff ums Leben gekommen, sagte US-General Kenneth McKenzie.
Taliban celebratory gunfire turns deadly, Pakistan’s spy chief arrives in Afghanistan
Amid reports of intense fighting in the Panjshir, Pakistan‘s powerful intelligence chief made a surprise visit to Kabul on Saturday.
Hameed arrived in Kabul Saturday morning, leading a delegation of „senior Pakistani officials“, to discuss security, economic and trade issues, according to Pakistani media reports.
Dominic Raab will ‚investigate‘ claims that people were told to go to airport ahead of attack
(01.09.2021)
Chris Bryant then asks about reports that British officials told people to go to the airport on the very day of the terrorist attack.
Dominic Raab says the travel advice was changed the night before the attack, and people were told not to come to the airport. The team was shifted from the Barons Hotel through to the airport to protect them.
He says he saw the report and „I need to investigate it“, but doesn‘t reject the possibility.
Afghanistan: Dominic Raab’s answers to five questions from MPs
(01.09.2021)
The foreign secretary promised he would investigate a serious allegation that British officials told Afghans to proceed to the airport’s Abbey gate on Thursday last week, despite a specific warning that Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) was preparing a terror attack that day.
Nearly 200 people were killed in a double bombing at and near the gate used for the British evacuation – but BBC’s Newsnight has reported that Afghans were sent emails earlier that day asking, in one case, if they were “at the correct gate? Abbey gate”.
Afghan interpreter ‘told by UK to go to Abbey Gate’ before Kabul attack says ‘if I’d listened I’d be dead’
(01.09.2021)
“Please advise that you are at the correct gate? Abbey Gate on hawa on Shawasi Street,” one UK staff member wrote to the interpreter in an email seen by the BBC.
The interpreter decided not to go to Abbey Gate because he felt the situation was becoming increasingly dangerous and said that had he followed the advice he was given, he would “be no more”.
The Story Of The Mysterious White 727 That Appeared In Kabul After The Bombing Of Abbey Gate
While all-white airframes aren‘t supposed to attract much attention, that paint scheme is also synonymous with clandestine operations, including „whitewashed“ aircraft often used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) for low-profile operations abroad. With that reality in mind, keen observers keeping an eye on traffic at Hamid Karzai International rightfully started thinking this may be some CIA asset that was slipping in on a unique mission. It turns out, that wasn‘t necessarily the case.
Afghanistan: UK embassy told Afghans to go to Abbey Gate before suicide attack
(01.09.2021)
Emails seen by Newsnight show that even though the UK and US deemed a threat to the airport to be imminent, the British embassy told people to „use the Abbey Gate [near] to the Baron Hotel“.
Almost 200 people were killed in the explosion, including two UK citizens.
The UK government said it was investigating the emails.
Raab rejects US claims Britain indirectly to blame for Kabul attacks
(31.08.2021)
“We coordinated very closely with the US, in particular around the Isis-K threat, which we anticipated although tragically were not able to prevent, but it is certainly right to say we got our civilians out of the processing centre by Abbey gate, but it is just not true to suggest that other than securing our civilians inside the airport that we were pushing to leave the gate open.
“In fact, and let me just be clear about this, we were issuing changes to travel advice before the bomb attack took place and saying to people in the crowd, about which I was particularly concerned, that certainly UK nationals and anyone else should leave because of the risk.”
US military ‚blames BRITAIN for making Kabul suicide attack death toll worse‘: Leaked Pentagon papers say airport gate had to be kept open for UK evacuees – as questions grow over how many were killed by panicked troops firing on civilians
(30.08.2021)
The British Ministry of Defence declined to respond to allegations they were to blame for keeping the gate open, but said in a statement: ‚Throughout Operation Pitting we have worked closely with the US to ensure the safe evacuation of thousands of people.
Report reveals US decision to keep open Kabul airport gate before attack
(30.08.2021)
The Pentagon criticised the leaking of the call details reported in Politico, telling the news website: “This story is based on the unlawful disclosure of classified information and internal deliberations of a sensitive nature.
“As soon as we became aware of the material divulged to the reporter, we engaged Politico at the highest levels to prevent the publication of information that would put our troops and our operations at the airport at greater risk. We condemn the unlawful disclosure of classified information and oppose the publication of a story based on it while a dangerous operation is ongoing.”
Exclusive: Pentagon prepared for ‘mass casualty’ attack at Kabul Airport hours before explosion
(30.08.2021)
Commanders calling in from Kabul relayed that the Abbey Gate, where American citizens had been told to gather in order to gain entrance to the airport, was “highest risk,” and detailed their plans to protect the airport.
“I don’t believe people get the incredible amount of risk on the ground,” Austin said, according to the classified notes.
On a separate call at 4 that afternoon, or 12:30 a.m. on Thursday in Kabul, the commanders detailed a plan to close Abbey Gate by Thursday afternoon Kabul time. But the Americans decided to keep the gate open longer than they wanted in order to allow their British allies, who had accelerated their withdrawal timeline, to continue evacuating their personnel, based at the nearby Baron Hotel.
Afghanistan: Inszenierung militärischer Evakuierung
Die Inszenierung erreichte ihren Höhepunkt mit der Ankunft eines Großteils des Deutschen Kontingents der „Evakuierungsmission“ auf dem Fliegerhorst Wunstorf, wo die ankommenden Militärtransporter A400M von Wasserfontänen der Flughafenfeuerwehr begrüßt wurden, die Verteidigungsministerin Kramp-Karrenbauer (die bereits von Taschkent aus mitgeflogen war) dem Brigadegeneral Arlt vermeintlich spontan um den Hals fiel und dieser mit umgehängten G36 vor Kameras und Mikrofon trat.
Afghanistan: Children among civilians killed in US drone attack
The United States’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said it was aware of “reports of civilian casualties” following the drone attack, which it said hit “multiple suicide bombers” who were preparing to attack the ongoing evacuations at the Kabul airport.
Erdogan says Turkey to maintain diplomatic presence in Kabul
The Turkish embassy in Kabul has returned to its building in the city and Ankara will maintain its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.
NATO countries have been pulling out their diplomatic missions in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s victory two weeks ago.
Kabul: US-Militär fliegt Luftangriff gegen IS
Das US-Militär hat nach eigenen Angaben in der afghanischen Hauptstadt Kabul einen Luftangriff durchgeführt, um eine „unmittelbare Bedrohung“ für den Flughafenbetrieb durch Terroristen abzuwenden.
Mr Dutton said the blasts occurred at the Baron Hotel and Abbey Gate airport entrance, where Australians were being brought through, but that Australian soldiers were safe.
Suicide bombing outside the Baron hotel near Abbey Gate is where 169 Americans were rescued late last week by 3 Army chinook helicopters.
IS-Terror am Flughafen Kabul
Die US-Botschaft hatte US-Bürger, die sich am Abbey Gate, East Gate oder North Gate aufhielten, in der Nacht zu Donnerstag dazu aufgerufen, das Gebiet „sofort“ zu verlassen. Großbritanniens Staatssekretär im Verteidigungsministerium, James Heappey, sprach noch am Morgen von der Drohung eines „ernsthaften, unmittelbaren, tödlichen Angriffs“ binnen Stunden auf den Flughafen oder die von westlichen Truppen genutzten Zentren.
The sea of humanity continues to flow towards the airport. Afghans with paperwork have to traverse flooded streets, Taliban checkpoints, then a British checkpoint, before even getting processed for evacuation near Abbey Gate. #Afghanistan
(25.08.2021)
Afghanistan: US, allies warn of ‘terror threat’ at Kabul airport
(26 Aug 2021)
The US Embassy in Kabul issued an alert advising US citizens to avoid travelling to the airport and said those already at the gates should leave immediately. It cited unspecified “security threats”.
The British Foreign Office issued a similar advisory, telling people in the area of the airport to “move away to a safe location”, adding, “There is an ongoing and high threat of terrorist attack.”
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade also urged Australians and Afghans with a visa for Australia to leave the area, warning of a “very high threat of a terrorist attack” at the airport.
Pentagon hints at more rescues outside Kabul airport, amid new security concerns and evacuation bottleneck
(August 21, 2021)
Kirby’s comments followed the disclosure that U.S. troops, traveling aboard Chinook helicopters, left the airport Thursday to retrieve 169 Americans from a nearby hotel.
Graphics and satellite images show how the complex and dangerous evacuation from Kabul airport works
(Published 4:52 PM UTC Aug. 26, 2021 Updated 8:44 PM UTC Aug. 26, 2021)
Arriving at the airport and passing through a security gate is the first step. Approaching the airport through snarled traffic and Taliban roadblocks was already difficult, but now entry may now be impossible after U.S. forces closed all gates due to an apparent attack.
American citizens who show up at the gates of Hamid Karzai International Airport would find a seat on one of the last flights out, but just about anybody else would be left behind, according to a U.S. official who is familiar with the operation but not authorized to speak publicly.
Outside the airport, desperation mounts for American citizens and Afghans who aided U.S. troops. U.S. special operators swooped into a neighborhood in Kabul to scoop up about 20 Americans unable to reach the airport, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Wednesday.
Bundestag stimmt Evakuierungsmission der Bundeswehr in Kabul zu
In einer Sondersitzung stimmten 539 Abgeordnete für den Einsatz von bis zu 600 Bundeswehrsoldaten. Neun Abgeordnete stimmten dagegen, 90 enthielten sich. Das Mandat ist bis zum 30. September befristet.