Claim: A video shows BM-21 rockets strike by Afghanistan at Pakistan during the recent escalation between the two countries.
Fact: The claim is false as the video is not from 2026 or related to the recent Pak-Afghan escalations. It was shared earlier in 2018, with posts linking it to the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).
On 27 February 2026, a user on X (formerly Twitter) posted a video with the caption: “BREAKING
BM-21 rocket strikes have begun from areas of Alishero district targeting Pakistani military installations across the so-called (imaginary) border.”
The 30-second video shows rockets being fired during the night, and it does not show any landscapes or human activity.
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. 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.
The escalations between the two countries have continued, with both nations trading significant claims of casualties and tactical successes. According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), 146 civilian casualties have been reported, including 42 people who were killed and 104 injured from 26 February to 2 March 2026. The Afghan Defence Ministry alleges it has killed 150 Pakistani troops while Pakistan says it has killed more than 450 Afghan soldiers since the start of the escalations. However, the number of casualties on both sides cannot be independently verified at this stage.
Fact or Fiction?
To investigate the authenticity of the claim, Soch Fact Check conducted an advanced search on Google with the keywords “BM-21 rocket” and “airstrikes Pakistani military installations.” However, we could not find any credible media source confirming the same rocket was deployed in any recent attacks or a video claiming to show as such.
We then conducted a keyframe search on the video through the InVID video analysis tool. The keyframes led to a YouTube video published on 29 August 2018. The video is titled “M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).”
The video’s description further reads, “5thBN3rdFAR conducts a live night fire exercise with the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in support of their Battery External Evaluations.”
Taking a cue from this, we then conducted some further searches and found the same video uploaded on X, by a page called 17th FA Brigade. The video, shared on 29 August 2018, is captioned:
“What’s the sound of artillery?!
@5thBN3rdFAR conducts a night live fire exercise with the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in support of their Battery External Evaluations. @I_Corps @USArmy”.
According to the X account’s bio, it is an official page of the 17th Field Artillery Brigade (“Thunderbolt”), based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, which is a U.S. Army brigade specializing in High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) operations.
Thus, Soch Fact Check’s evidence confirms that this particular video is old and unrelated to the recent escalations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Virality
The video has been widely shared on X by Afghan and Indian users here, here, and here. It was also shared by other accounts reporting on war and conflicts here, here, and here.
On Facebook, the video was falsely linked to Iran’s recent strikes and was shared here and here. It was also linked to Pak-Afghan escalations here, here, here, and here on Instagram.
Conclusion: A video claiming to show Afghanistan’s recent strikes on Pakistan is old and unrelated. The video is from 2018, with posts linking it to HIMARS exercises by the US Army.
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Background image in cover photo: RNA/AI-generated picture via Sora
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