Pakistan Strikes 10 Sites in Afghanistan After Alleged Drone Incursions

ISLAMABAD (Nazrana Times ) — Pakistan said on Thursday it had carried out air and drone strikes against 10 locations inside Afghanistan, describing the operation as a response to drones that entered Pakistani airspace from Afghan territory a day earlier.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the targeted locations had been identified by Pakistan as sites used to launch and store drones involved in attempted attacks against the country.

According to Pakistani security officials, air-defence systems detected and intercepted eight drones on Wednesday. Four were brought down near the Torkham border, while four others were intercepted in areas near Kohat.

Tarar described Pakistan’s subsequent operation as an exercise of the country’s right to self-defence, saying the strikes were intended to be limited to objectives Pakistan linked to the alleged drone attacks.

Reports of Strikes in Khost, Paktia and Kandahar

Afghan officials and local sources reported strikes in several areas.
In southeastern Khost province, a spokesman for the provincial governor said several locations were hit at around 3:30 a.m. and reported no casualties.

Officials also reported a strike in Paktia province, while a resident in the southern city of Kandahar told AFP that an airstrike had hit the city overnight.

Pakistan’s information minister did not publicly provide a detailed list of all 10 locations or announce casualties resulting from the latest operation.

Kabul and Islamabad Remain at Odds

The latest military action comes amid a long-running dispute between Pakistan and Afghanistan over cross-border militancy.

Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities of allowing armed groups hostile to Pakistan to maintain sanctuaries on Afghan soil and use the country as a base for attacks.

Afghanistan’s Taliban government has rejected accusations that it permits its territory to be used for attacks against neighbouring countries and has previously condemned Pakistani military operations inside Afghanistan as violations of Afghan sovereignty.

The competing claims surrounding cross-border attacks remain a central source of tension between the two governments.

Earlier Strikes Add to Tensions

The latest operation follows Pakistani airstrikes earlier this week against three locations in eastern Afghanistan.

Pakistan said those strikes killed 28 militants and suicide bombers. Afghan authorities disputed Pakistan’s account of the casualties and said civilians were among those killed.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan confirmed that three civilians were killed and four others injured in the earlier strikes, adding to concerns about the impact of the escalating cross-border violence on civilians.

Thursday’s strikes mark another escalation between the neighbouring countries at a time when regional powers have been attempting to reduce tensions through diplomatic engagement.

Pakistan says it does not seek further escalation but maintains that it will act against attacks originating from across its border. Afghan authorities, meanwhile, have warned that Afghanistan reserves the right to respond to military action on its territory.