Pakistan Strikes 10 Sites in Afghanistan After Cross-Border Drone Incursion
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: Pakistan carried out precision aerial and drone strikes against 10 locations in Afghanistan following what Islamabad described as a cross-border drone attack, marking a significant escalation in tensions between the neighbouring countries.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said early Thursday that the targeted locations had been used to launch and store drones that entered Pakistani airspace on September 23.
Tarar said Pakistan acted under what the government considers its right to self-defence and described the strikes as “deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate”. He said they were limited to identified military objectives connected with the attempted attacks on Pakistan. These descriptions reflect the Pakistani government’s account of the operation.
The latest Express Urdu report similarly said Pakistani forces retaliated at 10 locations inside Afghanistan and targeted infrastructure linked to militant activity.
Pakistan Says Eight Drones Were Intercepted
The strikes followed an incident on Wednesday in which Pakistani security sources said air-defence systems intercepted eight drones entering Pakistani airspace from Afghanistan.
Four were reportedly brought down in areas adjoining the Torkham border, while another four were intercepted in mountainous areas near the border with Kohat. Pakistani officials said none reached their intended targets.
Tarar characterised the drone incursion as a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also accused the Afghan Taliban authorities of failing to dismantle militant networks that Islamabad says operate from Afghan territory and of escalating tensions through drone operations.
The Afghan Taliban have previously rejected Pakistan’s broader allegations that they allow Afghan territory to be used for attacks inside Pakistan. The two governments therefore continue to give sharply different accounts of responsibility for cross-border militancy.
Kabul Reports Four Killed
Afghan authorities, meanwhile, condemned Pakistan’s latest strikes and reported casualties.
Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani aerial and drone attacks targeted locations in Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces and claimed that four people were killed.
That casualty figure comes from the Afghan authorities and had not been independently verified at publication time.
Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai also criticised the Pakistani operation and called for improved relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
These responses add an important second perspective to Islamabad’s description of the operation as a limited action against military objectives.
Islamabad Says It Does Not Seek Escalation
Despite the strikes, Tarar said Pakistan remained committed to regional peace, dialogue and constructive engagement and did not seek further escalation.
He warned, however, that Islamabad would respond to future violations of Pakistani sovereignty and called on the Afghan Taliban authorities to take what he described as effective and verifiable action against militant organisations operating from Afghanistan.
The latest confrontation follows several days of heightened security activity along the frontier.
Pakistan has accused the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other armed groups of maintaining sanctuaries across the border. Islamabad has repeatedly called on Kabul to take action against such groups, while Afghan authorities dispute Pakistan’s allegations concerning their role and responsibility.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also called this week for “concrete and verifiable” steps to prevent Afghan territory from being used for attacks against neighbouring countries.
Border Tensions Enter New Phase
The use of drones and cross-border aerial strikes adds another dimension to already strained Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.
The immediate sequence is now clearer: Pakistani sources say eight drones entered from Afghanistan on September 23 and were intercepted; Islamabad subsequently carried out aerial and drone strikes against 10 sites inside Afghanistan; Kabul has condemned those strikes and reported casualties.
Several key facts nevertheless remain contested or unverified. Independent evidence establishing who launched the eight drones has not been publicly presented in the sources reviewed, while Pakistan’s assessment that all 10 sites were directly linked to drone or militant infrastructure is based on its government’s account.
Likewise, Afghanistan’s reported casualty toll has not yet been independently confirmed.
The situation therefore remains developing, with the possibility of further official statements from Islamabad and Kabul.
