Claim: A video shows a female pilot of the Pakistan Air Force who carried out airstrikes on Afghanistan during the ongoing escalation between the two countries.
Fact: This claim is false; the video is from 2010 and actually shows Flight Lieutenant Ambreen Gul speaking in an AFP News Agency news report on Women’s Day.
On 28 February 2026, an account on X (formerly Twitter) posted a video with the caption:
بریکنگ نیوز: کابل اور قندھار میں کامیاب فضائی حملے کرنے والی پاک فضائیہ کی خواتین پائلٹس تھیں۔
[Translation: “BREAKING NEWS: The successful air strikes in Kabul and Kandahar were carried out by women pilots of the Pakistan Air Force.”]
The video features a woman officer from the Pakistan Air Force declaring the feeling of flying the aircraft and fighting the enemy.
Pak-Afghan “Open War”
The relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan reached a critical breaking point in late February 2026, escalating from diplomatic friction into a state of what Pakistan termed an “open war”. The conflict intensified following a series of selective airstrikes launched by the Pakistan Air Force on 21 and 22 February against militant hideouts in the Afghan provinces of Nangarhar, Paktika, and Khost.
In a press release, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting confirmed that “intelligence-led precision strikes” targeted seven hideouts of Fitna-al-Khawarij (TTP) along the border. Officials state they have “conclusive evidence” that these militants orchestrated recent cross-border terror attacks. “The operations were reportedly directed by leadership and handlers currently stationed within Afghanistan.”
On 26 February, the Taliban launched what they described as a “large-scale offensive operation” against Pakistani military installations along the border, claiming to have captured 19 posts and killed 55 soldiers. In response, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declared a state of “open war” on 27 February and initiated “Operation Ghazab lil-Haq” (Righteous Fury), targeting strategic sites in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia. Asif stated that the country’s “cup of patience had overflowed” and described the Taliban government as a “master proxy” responsible for the ongoing violence.
As the conflict intensified, both nations traded significant claims of casualties and tactical successes. The Pakistani military reported killing at least 274 Taliban fighters and destroying 73 border posts, while the Taliban government claimed to have successfully used weaponised drones against military targets inside Pakistan. However, the number of casualties on both sides cannot be independently verified at this stage. Meanwhile, international actors, including the United Nations, have called for immediate de-escalation, expressing deep concern over the mounting civilian death toll and the potential for a humanitarian crisis.
Fact or Fiction?
To investigate the authenticity of the claim, Soch Fact Check conducted a Google search but could not find any credible news reports of female fighter pilots carrying out airstrikes.
We then conducted a reverse image search of the video’s keyframe, and the result led to a YouTube video published by AFP News Agency on 8 March 2010. The video, titled “Sky’s the limit for Pakistan women fighter pilots,” contains the same footage as the viral clip. In the original AFP report, the pilot is identified as Ambreen Gul, a flight lieutenant in the Pakistan Air Force, who discusses her passion for fighting for the country and her experience in the force.
The video’s description further clarifies that the report was produced for International Women’s Day to highlight women breaking barriers in society. It states, “As the world marks International Women’s Day, attention is focusing on women who have broken the glass ceiling. And three women have done so in Pakistan at the speed of sound, as the country’s first female fighter pilots.”
This is not the first time this video has been shared; it also appeared with similar claims during the October 2025 Pak-Afghan escalations.
Virality
The video has been widely shared on X by notable personalities, including politician Chaudhry Fawad Hussain. It was also shared here, here, here, and here.
On Facebook, the video was shared here, here, and here.
Azaad Digital, a Pakistani media outlet, also posted the video with the same claim here.
Conclusion: The claim that the viral video shows a female pilot carrying out the 2026 airstrikes against Afghanistan is false. The footage is actually from a 2010 AFP interview with Flight Lieutenant Ambreen Gul, filmed to mark International Women’s Day. The video is over 15 years old and is entirely unrelated to the current military operations.
Background image in cover photo: Google Gemini
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