Did Afghan Forces Test a Missile Targeting 400 Kilometers?

Social media users have been circulating a claim alleging that Afghanistan's military forces successfully tested a missile that can strike a target 400 kilometers away.

Several misleading claims have been shared since the clashes started between Afghanistan and Pakistan along their disputed 1,600-mile border on October 10. 

Afghanistan initially accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes in Kabul and launched a retaliatory attack. Afghanistan disputes Pakistan's long-standing accusation that Kabul is home to the Pakistani Taliban militant group, also known as the TTP.

Iran Missile Footage Miscaptioned as Afghan Weapons Test

A video circulating on various social media platforms was shared with the same claim.

One of these accounts, named Mubariz, posted the video with the caption “Afghanistan's defense forces have successfully tested a missile capable of targeting a target at a distance of 400 kilometers.”

Misbar investigated the circulating video and found the claim to be misleading; the circulating footage is old and comes from Iran.

Last June, Iran responded to U.S. strikes on nuclear sites by firing ten missiles at the massive American base in Qatar, Al-Udeid.

Al-Udeid is home to the U.S. military's headquarters for all air operations in the region.

The Iranian military's most potent branch, the IRGC, declared in a statement that "Iran will not leave any attack on its sovereignty unanswered."

A spokesman for Qatar's foreign ministry called the attack a "surprise" and a "flagrant violation of its sovereignty," adding that Qatar "was one of the first countries to warn against the dangers of Israeli escalation in the region."

A Second Video Circulating with the Claim Fueled Further Confusion

Following the recent conflicts, Afghan and Pakistani media outlets have been competing to refute each other’s claims. 

Another video—circulating in two versions, one three seconds and the other eight—has spread alongside the claim of an Afghan missile test.

Both Dawn, the largest English newspaper in Pakistan, and Pakistan Observer, an English-language daily newspaper, have published a fact check on the arguing video.

Dawn website said, “A reverse image search for the first image and video yielded a news report dated February 24, 2023, from South Korean media outlet YTN titled ‘North Korea: Yesterday, we launched four strategic cruise missiles into the East Sea … a show of nuclear warfare readiness.’”

Misbar’s team found that the same channel, YTN, had also published another video on May 10, 2024, titled “Tensions between India and Pakistan escalate as Pakistan launches large-scale airstrikes.”

In that report, YTN stated that both nuclear-armed countries, India and Pakistan, carried out airstrikes targeting each other’s military facilities. 

The Pakistani military announced that it had launched a large-scale military operation in response to the Indian missile attacks.

The network quoted the Pakistani military as saying that the operation was a response to Indian missile attacks, and some of the Indian missiles had reportedly fallen in Afghanistan.

After cross-checking the video, we discovered that the same footage, titled "India–Pakistan ceasefire shaken by overnight fighting in Kashmir," was broadcast on France 24 last May at 1:55.

No Evidence Afghanistan Tested a Missile With 400 km Range

Misbar’s team found no credible report from reliable media or official sources confirming that such a test was conducted by Afghanistan.

According to data from the Arms Control Association, Afghanistan is not listed among countries that have tested or fielded missiles with ranges anywhere near 400 km.

Afghanistan is reported to possess two types of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. The Frog-7, a solid-fuel tactical missile system, is believed to be operational with an estimated range of about 70 kilometers. Meanwhile, the Scud-B, a liquid-fueled missile with a maximum range of approximately 300 kilometers, has an uncertain operational status.

According to a 2001 U.N. Monitoring Group report, Afghanistan had around 100 Scud-B missiles and four mobile launchers before the U.S.-led invasion. However, the current distribution and functionality of these systems remain unknown, as no verified missile development or testing program has been reported in the country since.

Afghanistan and Pakistan Reach an Agreement on a New Ceasefire

After the Taliban accused Pakistan of carrying out attacks on the Afghan capital Kabul, tensions between the two nations intensified along their shared 1,600-mile (2,574-kilometer) mountainous border.

Intense border clashes between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban on October 12 killed over 200 Taliban fighters, including several terrorists from Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, and claimed the lives of 23 troops. 

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Kurram district, fighting broke out between neighbors once more on October 15. 

According to Pakistani security forces, an Afghan Taliban attack was thwarted in Spin Boldak, killing roughly 15 to 20 Taliban combatants.

On October 16, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reported that the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province, where fierce combat between Pakistani military forces and de facto security forces occurred on Wednesday, has seen the greatest number of civilian deaths in Afghanistan to date. 

UNAMA is still assessing the exact number of killed and injured; current information, however, indicates that at least 17 civilians were killed and 346 injured in Spin Boldak on the Afghan side of the border.

Following over a week of deadly clashes that persisted despite an earlier truce, Qatar's foreign ministry announced early Sunday that Pakistan and Afghanistan had agreed to a new immediate ceasefire during talks in Doha.

Taliban spokesperson, Zabiullah Mujahid, stated: “Both sides are committed to resolving issues and disputes through dialogue… It has been decided that neither country will undertake any hostile actions against the other, nor will they support groups carrying out attacks against the Government of Pakistan. Both sides will refrain from targeting each other’s security forces and civilians.”

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