Claim of Pakistani Fighter Jet Shot Down by Afghan Forces Proven False
Islamabad: Following decisive operations by the Pakistan Armed Forces against Taliban positions in Afghanistan, Afghan and Indian propaganda outlets circulated claims that a Pakistani fighter jet was shot down and its pilot captured alive. Pakistani authorities have rejected these reports as false.
The Afghan Ministry of Defense alleged that their forces downed a Pakistani jet in Nangarhar and captured the pilot. However, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Pakistan exposed the claims as baseless, stating that neither Pakistani authorities, international media, nor defense monitoring platforms have confirmed any aircraft losses.
Officials further clarified that images circulated in the propaganda were unrelated, with one widely shared photo actually depicting a 2021 Russian plane crash in Turkey.
🔎 Fact Check | Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Title: False Report by Afghan News Agencies amplified by Indian Media outlets & khaleej Times about “Pakistani Jet Shot Down in Nangarhar; Pilot Captured”
🟠 Claim (circulated by Afghan Taliban officials & amplified by… pic.twitter.com/698PtX86fv
— Fact Checker MoIB (@FactCheckerMoIB) February 28, 2026
Experts say the false claims were part of an organized disinformation campaign by Afghan Taliban and Indian media to obscure their setbacks. The use of official Afghan accounts to spread, then delete, Pakistan-targeted propaganda has been widely condemned as misleading.
The misinformation follows Pakistan’s recent airstrikes on terrorist hideouts and military installations in Afghanistan, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Taliban fighters.
