Afghan Taliban did not carry out drone strikes on Nur Khan Airbase, viral visuals are of Iran’s attack on Bahrain

none@none.com (CEJ) — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 20:43:00 +0500

CLAIM

Afghan Taliban carry out drone strike targeting Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi and other Pakistani military installations

RATING JUSTIFICATION

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted keyword and reverse image searches, reviewed international and Pakistani media coverage, verified official statements, and contacted a reporter for confirmation.

Multiple Afghan and Indian users on social media platform X have been alleging since March 1, 2026, that the Afghan Taliban targeted the Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi and other military installations in Pakistan through coordinated aerial operations. However, no such attack took place; a viral clip alleging the same is of Iran’s recent attack on Bahrain.

Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban after the neighbouring country opened fire on multiple locations across the border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on February 26, 2026.

Authorities in Kabul had called it a response to Pakistani strikes against terrorist hideouts on Afghan soil over the weekend.

Just a day later, Israel and the United States launched joint military strikes on Iran on February 28 and assassinated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, significantly escalating tensions in the Middle East. Tehran responded with missile attacks targeting Israel and at least seven other countries, including Gulf states that host US military bases, and vowed retaliation for Khamenei’s assassination.

HOW IT STARTED

On March 1, the Afghan defence ministry shared a post on X of a drone taking off with the following caption: “In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful … today, the air force of the Ministry of National Defence conducted precise and coordinated aerial operations against key military installations in Pakistan.”

The post gained 150,100 views.

On the same day, the account shared a post containing four satellite images claiming to show before-and-after strike visuals, with the caption stating that it had targeted Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi and other Pakistani military facilities and command centres.

This post gained 79,300 views.

On March 2, Indian media outlet NDTV shared a post on X with the following caption, “Taliban targets Nur Khan airbase in Pakistan”, gaining 182,900 views.

A pro-Indian account reshared the post, claiming: “Breaking: First visuals on NDTV of Afghan Taliban armed drone used to target Pakistan’s most sensitive Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi.”

This post gained 407,600 views.

The claim was further amplified by multiple pro-Indian users, as can be seen here, here, here and here.

A separate video was also shared by pro-Afghan accounts with the same claim, as seen here and here.

Several Indian media outlets, including The Times of India, Republic World, India Today, The Economic Times, The Sunday Guardian, and Indian TV News, published reports sharing the claim as well.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated due to the virality of the claim, keen public interest in the ongoing Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict and coverage by prominent Indian media outlets.

A keyword search was conducted to determine whether any credible Pakistani or international media outlets had reported on any Afghan Taliban strike on Nur Khan Airbase, but yielded no such reports.

Searches across social media platforms also yielded no credible confirmation or visuals from Pakistani users or officials on any such alleged attack.

Contacted to verify whether any such incident had occurred, a Dawn reporter based in Rawalpindi also confirmed that no Afghan Taliban drone attack had taken place on Nur Khan Airbase, and Pakistani officials had not reported any such strike.

Similarly, Shabbir Dar, a journalist associated with Geo News, negated any such claims in a post on X, with the caption: “Just passed by Nur Khan Airbase, everything is normal, but NDTV keeps insisting that Afghanistan attacked Nur Khan Airbase. These jokers’ show is still in full swing.”

The team then conducted a reverse image search of the viral clip associated with the claim, which yielded a Facebook post dated March 1, 2026, with the caption: “Iran’s drone has targeted a building near the US base in Bahrain.”

The same visuals were shared on TikTok by 9News on March 1, with the caption stating that a suspected Iranian drone struck a high-rise building in Manama, Bahrain.

@9news
Video appears to show a suspected Iranian drone hitting a high-rise building in Bahrain. Bahrain's Interior Ministry has confirmed that several residential buildings in the capital Manama were hit. #9News LIVE UPDATES: https://nine.social/15FN
♬ original sound - 9News Australia

A keyword search also yielded international news coverage of the same incident.

Al Jazeera published a report on Feb 28, 2026, titled: “Suspected Iranian drone hits Bahrain high-rise building.”

The report stated that a suspected Iranian drone struck a high-rise building in Bahrain amid regional tensions. The same video circulating on X was included in this coverage.

Other international outlets, including CNN and Sky News, also reported on the Iranian drone strike in Bahrain and shared the same footage, confirming that no attack took place at the Nur Khan Airbase.

Furthermore, in a post on X, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting termed the claim “unverified, militarily implausible, and baseless propaganda”, adding that there was no credible evidence to support it.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that the Afghan Taliban targeted Nur Khan Airbase and other Pakistani military installations is false.

No credible reports or official confirmations support the alleged attack. The viral video circulating as evidence is from an Iranian drone strike on a high-rise building in Bahrain and is unrelated to Pakistan.