Key Points
- Satellite images show destruction in Kabul, Kandahar and Gardez.
- Kabul damage matches footage earlier released by Pakistan’s security forces.
- Burn marks visible on four buildings inside Gardez military base.
- NASA data detected nighttime heat signatures indicating large fires.
- Two sites damaged near Kandahar, southeast of the airport.
ISLAMABAD: Fresh satellite imagery analysed by BBC Verify has confirmed significant damage at multiple locations in Afghanistan following overnight Pakistani airstrikes, including sites in Kabul, Kandahar and Gardez.
According to a report by BBC journalists Shruti Menon and Paul Brown, the assessment is based on newly obtained satellite footage from Planet Labs, which allows an initial evaluation of the scale and location of damage caused by the strikes carried out by Pakistan late last night.
While the resolution of the satellite images is relatively low, BBC Verify said the damage is still clearly visible at two locations in Kabul, as well as several sites in Kandahar and Gardez.
In Kabul, the destruction seen in the satellite imagery matches footage earlier released by Pakistan’s security forces. That footage showed strikes on two buildings located around 400 metres apart in the eastern part of the Afghan capital. BBC Verify said the satellite images corroborate those claims, indicating structural damage consistent with aerial attacks.
Further southeast, in Gardez, satellite images reveal burn marks and fire-related damage to four buildings inside what appears to be a military base. BBC Verify reported that data from NASA also recorded a nighttime heat signature at the same location, suggesting a large fire broke out following the strikes.
In Kandahar — long regarded as a historic stronghold of the Taliban — satellite imagery shows damage at two sites located approximately 4.5 kilometres southeast of the city’s airport. The extent and pattern of damage suggest targeted strikes, though details about the nature of the facilities hit remain unclear.
BBC Verify said it is continuing to work with its experts to determine what activities were taking place at the two sites struck near Kandahar, including what types of buildings were present and how they were being used.
The BBC stressed that its findings are based on satellite imagery analysis and open-source data, and that further verification is ongoing as more information becomes available.
