Clash between Afghanistan and Pakistan: Amid escalating tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, a video circulating on social media claimed that Afghan forces shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet in the early hours of Friday.
The burning wreckage of the plane was also seen in the clip. However, X’s AI chatbot – Grok said the claims are unconfirmed.
What did Grok say about the “Pakistani F-16”?
Grok said the claims have not been confirmed.
“No, this claim is unconfirmed. The video shows the burning wreckage of what appears to be an aircraft with tail number 85510 and a Pakistani flag marking, but no credible news sources (Al Jazeera, Reuters, etc.) or officials are reporting the downing of the Pakistani F-16 today. It is only circulating on Afghan accounts as part of independent verification between the recent air conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan. propaganda,” Grok responded to a netizen’s question about the authenticity of the video.
The AI chatbot also noted that the wreckage appears to be from a much larger aircraft and does not match the size or design of an F-16 jet.
To another query in Hindi, Grok replied, “Haan bhai, video false claim ke saath hai. Ye wreckage of F-16 jaisa nahi (size/shape galat, serial 85510 bada aircraft ka)” meaning the video comes with a false claim. The wreckage does not match the wreckage of an F-16 fighter jet.
The video comes amid escalating tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Clash between Pakistan and Afghanistan
As tensions escalated on the Pakistan-Afghan border, the Afghan ministry reportedly said 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed in retaliatory operations along the Durand Line on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Pakistan said it had killed over 130 Taliban fighters in a retaliatory operation.
Two senior Pakistani security officials told the AP that the Pakistani military had carried out airstrikes targeting what they described as Afghan military installations in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia provinces, reportedly destroying two brigade bases.
The Afghan ministry earlier – in a press release – said the operation was launched at 20:00 (local time) on the 9th of Ramadan, which corresponds to February 26, in response to what it described as an incursion into Afghan territory by Pakistani military forces a few days ago.
The ministry said Afghan forces targeted Pakistani military positions in the eastern and southeastern direction along the Durand Line, near the provinces of Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Nangarhar, Kunar and Nuristan.
