Sources say 4 drones brought down in areas close to Torkham border, another 4 shot down near the border with Kohat
Pakistan’s air defence system shot down eight drones after they entered the country’s airspace from Afghanistan on Wednesday morning, security sources said.
“Four of the drones were brought down in areas adjoining the Torkham border, while another four were shot down in mountainous areas near the border with Kohat,” the sources said.
The sources said the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had thwarted the attempt by the Afghan Taliban regime to target public places, adding that the country’s “active and alert air defence system” had detected and brought down all eight drones.
The sources described the incursion as “further evidence” of what they said was the Afghan Taliban regime’s direct support and patronage of terrorists.
“The Pakistan Armed Forces remain fully prepared at all times to defend Pakistan and its people,” the sources said.
The sources said that the assessment and defence systems monitored by the PAF along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border remained operational and on alert at all times.
It said the downed drones further demonstrated that the PAF were fully determined and capable of thwarting any ground, aerial or terrorist incursion by the Afghan Taliban regime.
The wreckage of the destroyed drones was also being taken into custody, the sources said. The sources said that the developments reflect the Afghan Taliban’s “severe panic”.
The sources added that the PAF’s surveillance and defence systems along the border remained fully operational to detect and respond to any further incursions.
Earlier, security forces also foiled an infiltration attempt by terrorists belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij to cross into the Kurram sector from Afghanistan and responded promptly to firing by the Afghan Taliban.
The term Fitna al-Khawarij is used by the state to refer to terrorists affiliated with the banned TTP.
The sources added that the provocative firing in the Kurram sector along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border since Tuesday night, followed by Wednesday’s drone attack, came after Pakistani forces had destroyed terrorist hideouts operating under the Afghan Taliban regime.
According to security sources, the infiltration attempt was made from Afghan Taliban posts in Nangarhar and Paktia provinces but was effectively thwarted by Pakistani troops deployed along the border.
Following the failure of the attempt, the Afghan Taliban opened unprovoked fire on Pakistani border posts using heavy weapons, mortars and other arms, sources added.
They further added that security forces responded effectively and targeted several Afghan Taliban border posts, mortar positions and defensive positions with small and heavy weapons, including artillery.
The development emerged two days after Pakistan carried out “calibrated” air strikes against terrorist hideouts near the Afghan border and conducted intelligence-based ground operations that killed a total of 37 terrorists following a series of deadly attacks in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).
On September 20, security forces conducted an intelligence-based ground operation against a group of terrorists in Kohat and Hangu districts. “As a result of precise and skilful engagement, nine khwarij belonging to the Indian proxy Fitna al-Khawarij were sent to hell, while several were injured.”
The statement said three targets were destroyed in precision strikes, including a training centre for suicide bombers. It said 28 terrorists, along with several suicide bombers, were killed, while large quantities of weapons and ammunition stored at the centres and hideouts were also destroyed.
The airstrikes were carried out in response to a blast at a mosque in Kohat’s Police Lines during Friday prayers, in which 23 people, including 15 police personnel, were martyred. Eight terrorists were also killed during a subsequent search and clearance operation. Later, Ittihadul Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP), led by Afghanistan-based Hafiz Gul Bahadur, claimed responsibility for the deadly bombing and rampage involving multiple attackers.
Previous drone attacks
Pakistan had reported previous incidents involving drones crossing from Afghanistan into its airspace.
On July 1, security forces had shot down four “rudimentary drones” launched from Afghanistan into Balochistan on June 30. The military accused the Afghan Taliban regime of supporting terrorist groups operating from territory under its control and warned that further cross-border provocations would draw a strong response.
In March, armed forces intercepted few rudimentary drones launched by the Afghan Taliban in what officials described as a failed attempt to harass civilian populations, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations.
The military’s media wing said the drones were detected and neutralised through a combination of defensive measures before they could reach their intended targets. However, falling debris from the intercepted drones caused injuries to civilians in multiple cities.
Two children were injured in Quetta, while one civilian each sustained injuries in Kohat and Rawalpindi. All injured individuals received medical attention and were reported to be in stable condition.
Pakistan warns Afghanistan
Pakistan has repeatedly raised concerns on international forums over terrorist attacks being launched from Afghan soil.
A day earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called for “concrete and verifiable” action to prevent Afghan soil from being used for terrorism against neighbouring countries, particularly Pakistan, while addressing the OIC Contact Group on Afghanistan on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
In a separate warning following the terrorist attack in Kohat, Pakistan said it had the “will and capability” to eliminate terror threats “wherever they are” and urged the international community to press the Afghan Taliban regime to take decisive action against terrorism.
Attributing the attack to “the vilest of Khwarij with roots in Afghanistan” the Information Ministry noted that the attack was a reminder that “terrorism has no religion and no justification”. It added that Islamabad had repeatedly raised “grave concerns” over the alleged use of Afghan territory by the banned TTP and other terrorist groups to plan and launch attacks inside the country.
“The presence of terrorist sanctuaries, alongside their recruitment and support infrastructure in Afghanistan, poses a direct threat to Pakistan’s security,” the ministry had said. It added that these concerns had repeatedly been conveyed to the Afghan Taliban regime and its interlocutors. “They must dismantle these networks rather than deflect responsibility,” Pakistan said.
United Nations Security Council report formally implicated the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and terrorist entities operating from Afghanistan, highlighting tactical collaboration and shared operational logistics between the groups.
Read More: Pakistan carries out ‘calibrated’ air strikes against terrorist hideouts
Member-state reporting confirmed that BLA terrorists were trained alongside TTP members at facilities in Afghanistan, according to the report, which also described growing operational links among various terrorist groups operating across the border.
This was not the first time a UN report pointed to the threat posed by terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan. In 2023, a UN report also revealed that the TTP had established a new base in K-P in mid-2023, shedding light on close ties between the TTP and the Afghan Taliban, as well as between the TTP and anti-Pakistani groups and Al Qaeda.
Pak-Afghan tensions
K-P had witnessed a significant rise in militant violence last year, with more than 500 attacks reported, marking a 50% increase compared to the previous year.
The fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan that started in October has killed scores of people on both sides, with Afghans taking the brunt. Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of harbouring militants who launch attacks in Pakistan, although Kabul denies this, calling the militancy its neighbour’s domestic problem.
Operation Ghazab Lil Haq was launched around the end of February following renewed clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, after Afghan Taliban forces fired on multiple locations, prompting swift military retaliation by Pakistan.
The clashes intensified after Afghanistan launched a border offensive in response to Pakistani air strikes targeting terrorist positions. The two sides had agreed to a week-long ceasefire on the eve of Eidul Fitr on March 18, following requests from Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Also Read: Info ministry rejects Afghan Taliban-linked claims of cross-border drone strikes
Pakistan in April put forth three core demands to the Afghan Taliban during peace talks in Urumqi, China, including Kabul formally declaring the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan a terrorist organisation, dismantling its infrastructure, and providing verifiable proof of the action. These demands form the basis of Pakistan’s negotiating position, which sources say has hardened amid persistent security concerns.
