Web Desk: Afghanistan’s official revenue portal, Arian.gov.af, went offline after a powerful distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack rendered the website completely inaccessible, officials and sources said, as escalating clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan expanded into the cyber domain.
Sources familiar with the development said the online platform was overwhelmed by a coordinated DDoS assault that forced the system into shutdown. They claimed Pakistani cyber vigilantes carried out the operation, describing it as a retaliatory digital strike amid intensifying hostilities along the border.
Meanwhile, tensions along the Torkham border crossing have sharply escalated. Pakistani security sources said clashes erupted after what they described as unprovoked aggression by Afghan fighters. In response, Pakistan launched retaliatory operations under what officials termed Operation Ghazab-Lil-Haq.
According to Pakistani security officials, the ongoing campaign has killed 58 Afghan fighters and wounded more than 100 others. They said 12 Afghan border posts were completely destroyed and five were captured during the counteroffensive.
Moreover, officials stated that aerial strikes targeted a major weapons depot, three battalions and a sector headquarters inside Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. More than 30 tanks, artillery guns and armored personnel carriers were also destroyed, they added. These claims could not be independently verified, and Afghan authorities have not issued a detailed response.
Security sources in Pakistan said operations remain underway with what they described as high precision and significant impact. They reiterated that Pakistan’s armed forces are prepared to respond decisively to any further border violations.
The reported cyberattack on Afghanistan’s revenue system marks a significant widening of the confrontation, signaling that the conflict now spans both physical and digital fronts. As fighting continues along the border, diplomatic channels appear strained, raising concerns about further escalation between the two neighboring countries.
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