Pakistan has confirmed that its forces carried out air and drone strikes against 10 locations in Afghanistan following what Islamabad described as attempted drone attacks launched from Afghan territory.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the strikes were conducted against locations allegedly used for launching and storing drones. He described the operation as a self-defence response and said the targets were limited to identified military objectives directly linked to the attempted attacks against Pakistan.
Editorial Insight
Key Highlights
Important points readers should notice.
Issue/Event: Pakistan confirms air and drone strikes on 10 locations in Afghanistan.
Location: Afghanistan, including reported strikes in Kandahar, Paktia and Khost.
Authority/Organisation: Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Action Taken: Pakistan says it conducted precision strikes against locations linked to launching and storing drones.
Impact: The strikes mark another escalation in tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The strikes came after Pakistani security authorities said drones had entered the country’s airspace from Afghanistan on September 23. Pakistan said its air-defence systems detected and neutralised the drones before they could reach their intended targets.
An overnight airstrike was also reported in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan, where Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada is based. A Kandahar resident told AFP that a jet was heard before a large explosion and a fire was seen in the city centre. Afghan officials also reported strikes in the eastern provinces of Paktia and Khost.
Pakistan did not specify the locations of all 10 targets in its initial confirmation. A spokesman for the Paktia governor said Pakistani aircraft struck the Afghan army’s 203rd Mansouri Corps, while a Khost official said strikes there caused no casualties.
Editorial Analysis
Why This Matters
The latest operation represents a new development in the continuing security confrontation between Islamabad and Kabul. The reported strike in Kandahar is particularly notable because the city is associated with the Taliban leadership, although the specific target and full circumstances of the Kandahar incident were not immediately established.
The latest strikes follow Pakistani airstrikes earlier this week in eastern Afghanistan. Pakistan said those operations killed 28 militants, while Afghan authorities reported three civilian deaths and four injuries. The United Nations later confirmed the civilian deaths.
Pakistan has accused the Taliban government of allowing militant networks to operate from Afghan territory. Kabul has denied accusations that Afghan Taliban forces carried out attacks against Pakistan.
