Pakistan reports intercepting four drones from Afghanistan
Islamabad and Kabul traded claims of cross-border attacks as months of fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan continued.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Pakistan said its air defences intercepted four drones launched from Afghanistan into Balochistan, while Afghanistan’s Taliban government said it had carried out strikes on Pakistani territory. The exchange marks another escalation in a conflict that Al Jazeera and AFP reported has killed hundreds of people in cross-border fighting since February.
Pakistan’s military said on Wednesday that Afghan Taliban forces sent four basic unmanned aircraft across the border into the southern province of Balochistan. It said Pakistan’s air defence network detected the aircraft quickly and intercepted them.
The Pakistani military also warned that further action by the Afghan Taliban would draw a strong response. It said Pakistan would make any continued provocation costly for the Taliban authorities in Kabul.
Afghanistan’s defence ministry gave a different account of the episode. In a post on X, the ministry said Afghan forces had conducted air strikes in Balochistan and in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The Afghan ministry said the strikes caused casualties among members of an ISIL affiliate. It did not provide a casualty figure in the statement cited by Al Jazeera and AFP.
Border conflict has widened since February
The latest clash followed a Taliban pledge to respond after Pakistani air attacks in eastern Afghanistan earlier in the week. Al Jazeera and AFP reported that those Pakistani strikes came after a deadly weekend attack in Karachi.
Pakistan said its attacks in eastern Afghanistan targeted fighters. The Afghan government said at least 36 civilians were among the casualties.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. The current phase of fighting began in February, according to Al Jazeera and AFP, when Afghanistan carried out retaliatory strikes after Pakistan launched air attacks inside Afghan territory.
Al Jazeera and AFP reported that the Afghan Taliban’s military does not have fighter jets and lacks a fully functioning air force. The Taliban has used small drones in clashes with Pakistan, mainly in border areas, according to their report.
Pakistan accuses Kabul of sheltering armed groups
The conflict is tied to Islamabad’s accusation that Afghanistan’s Taliban government gives sanctuary to armed groups that attack Pakistan. Pakistan has pointed in particular to the Pakistan Taliban, known as the TTP, which has fought the Pakistani state for years.
Afghan officials deny Pakistan’s allegations. They accuse Islamabad of harbouring hostile groups and violating Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
The competing claims from Islamabad and Kabul show how the border confrontation has spread across several regions. Pakistan identified Balochistan as the site of the drone interceptions, while Afghanistan’s defence ministry said its strikes also reached Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.