ISLAMABAD, September 24: Pakistan carried out airstrikes on 10 locations inside Afghanistan that it said were being used to store and launch drones, following an attempted cross-border drone attack a day earlier, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Thursday.
The latest operation comes amid renewed tensions between the neighbouring countries, whose relations have deteriorated over allegations concerning cross-border militant activity. The dispute led to their most intense fighting in years in February, while fresh violence this month has raised concerns about another escalation.
Islamabad maintains that militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan operate from Afghan territory. Afghanistan’s Taliban government rejects the allegation, insisting that it does not shelter anti-Pakistan insurgents and describing militancy as Pakistan’s internal security problem.
Pakistan Says Incoming Drones Were Intercepted
According to Tarar, Pakistan’s air defence systems detected drones launched from Afghanistan on Wednesday and tracked them before neutralising them.
In a statement posted on X, the minister said none of the drones reached its intended target.
Pakistan subsequently conducted what Tarar described as precise aerial and drone strikes against 10 locations associated with the attempted attacks.
He said the operation was restricted to identified military targets allegedly linked to the storage and launching of drones.
The minister also warned that Pakistan would respond firmly to any further action by the Afghan Taliban that Islamabad considered provocative.
Afghan Officials Confirm Strikes in Khost
Afghan authorities confirmed that Pakistani airstrikes had taken place in several parts of the southeastern province of Khost.
Mustaghfir Gurbaz, spokesperson for the provincial governor, said the attacks caused no casualties.
The Afghan confirmation followed Pakistan’s announcement that its operation had targeted facilities connected to the previous day’s drone launches.
Renewed Fighting Follows Deadly Attack in Pakistan
The latest exchange comes after an attack on a police facility in northwestern Pakistan last week that killed at least 24 people.
That incident reignited hostilities between the two countries following nearly three months of relative calm.
Earlier this week, Pakistan also announced that it had conducted airstrikes in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, claiming that 28 militants were killed.
Afghan Taliban officials disputed Pakistan’s account of those operations and accused Islamabad of killing three civilians in overnight strikes on Afghan territory.
March Strike Remains a Major Point of Dispute
One of the deadliest incidents in the conflict occurred in March, when more than 400 people were reported killed in a Pakistani airstrike on Kabul.
Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities alleged that the strike hit a drug rehabilitation centre.
Pakistan rejected that allegation, maintaining that its operation had targeted military installations and infrastructure used to support militant activity.
The latest airstrikes underscore the continuing disagreement between Islamabad and Kabul over cross-border security, militant sanctuaries and the use of military force.
