Pakistan Says It Conducted Strikes at 10 Afghan Locations After Drone Incursions
Pakistan has carried out what it described as targeted aerial and drone strikes at 10 locations in Afghanistan following drone incursions into Pakistani airspace, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Thursday.
In a statement shared on social media, Tarar said the strikes were conducted in response to drone attacks launched from Afghan territory a day earlier.
According to the minister, the locations targeted were allegedly being used to launch or store drones. He said the operation was limited to what Pakistan identified as military targets connected with the reported attacks.
Pakistan says drones were intercepted
Tarar said Pakistan’s air defence systems detected and tracked the drones that entered its airspace on Wednesday.
He claimed that all of the incoming platforms were intercepted before reaching their intended targets.
Security sources had earlier reported that eight drones launched from Afghanistan entered Pakistani airspace near the Torkham border and Kohat before being brought down.
The developments have added to already strained relations between Islamabad and Kabul.
Pakistan raises concerns with Kabul
The information minister said Pakistan had repeatedly raised concerns with the Afghan Taliban administration over militant groups operating from Afghan territory.
He accused Kabul of failing to take sufficient action against what Pakistan describes as militant sanctuaries and said the latest drone activity had further increased tensions.
Pakistan has maintained that its territory and citizens should not be targeted from across the Afghan border.
Tarar also called on the authorities in Kabul to prevent Afghan territory from being used for attacks against Pakistan and to take concrete and verifiable steps against militant organisations.
At the same time, he said Islamabad remained committed to dialogue, regional stability and diplomatic engagement.
Tensions have increased in recent months
The latest incident comes after several other security-related developments along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Pakistan carried out air operations in the border region on September 21 following a series of militant attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The government said at the time that the operations targeted militant hideouts and safe locations.
The action followed a major attack in Kohat’s old Police Lines area that resulted in 23 deaths and left around 100 people injured. Security forces subsequently conducted an overnight clearance operation.
Pakistan has also reported several incidents involving drones and cross-border firing in recent months.
In June and July, Pakistani security officials reported intercepting drones that entered areas of Balochistan, while there were also reports of exchanges of fire along parts of the border.
Islamabad links security concerns to Afghan soil
Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Afghan Taliban administration to take action against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups that Islamabad says operate from Afghan territory.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar recently raised the issue at an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation meeting, calling for concrete measures to prevent Afghan territory from being used for attacks against neighbouring countries.
Pakistan has also raised the matter at the United Nations Security Council, maintaining that it reserves the right to respond to security threats originating from Afghanistan in accordance with international law.
The Foreign Office has said that progress in relations with Kabul will depend in part on verifiable action against militant groups operating from Afghan territory.
Regional security remains a concern
The continuing tensions have become an important issue for regional security as Islamabad and Kabul attempt to manage their increasingly difficult relationship.
A recent UN Security Council-mandated monitoring report also highlighted concerns about militant activity involving groups operating in and around Afghanistan.
Pakistan says it wants peaceful relations with Afghanistan but expects the authorities in Kabul to prevent their territory from being used for attacks against Pakistan.
The latest strikes and reported drone incidents are likely to keep border security and counterterrorism efforts at the centre of discussions between the two sides.
