ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s armed forces on Wednesday shot down eight drones after they entered the country’s airspace from Afghanistan, security sources said, as tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border intensified.
According to the sources, the air defence system intercepted all eight drones and foiled the attempted intrusion.
Four drones were brought down in areas adjacent to the Torkham border, while the remaining four were shot down in mountainous areas near Kohat, the sources said.
The sources described the intrusion as evidence of what they called the Afghan Taliban regime’s direct support and patronage of terrorists, saying the attempted incursion was successfully thwarted by the armed forces.
Separately, security forces foiled an infiltration attempt by Fitna al-Khawarij militants from Afghanistan into Kurram, security sources said.
According to the sources, the infiltration attempt was made from Afghan posts in Nangarhar and Paktia provinces and was repulsed by Pakistani troops deployed along the border.
Following the failed infiltration bid, Afghan Taliban forces allegedly opened fire on Pakistani border posts using heavy weapons, mortars and other arms.
Pakistani security forces responded by targeting multiple Afghan Taliban border posts, mortar positions and defensive locations with small and heavy weapons, including artillery, the sources said.
They added that several Afghan Taliban personnel were forced to abandon their posts following the retaliatory action, while Pakistani forces continued to monitor the border situation.
The latest developments came two days after Pakistan conducted an intelligence-based ground operation and carried out calibrated airstrikes against militant camps and hideouts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the border region with Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Information said the operation was launched in response to a series of terrorist attacks in KP, including the deadly assault on Kohat’s old Police Lines.
According to the ministry, security forces conducted a well-planned intelligence-based operation around Kohat, Hangu and Thal on September 20, followed by airstrikes against hideouts and safe havens of militant organisations responsible for the attacks.
The ministry said nine militants were killed during the ground operation, while more than 28 terrorists were eliminated in strikes targeting camps and hideouts in the border region with Afghanistan.
It said three targets, including a suicide bomber training centre, were destroyed in the strikes.
The escalation follows the September 18 attack on Kohat’s old Police Lines, in which 23 people, including 17 policemen and six civilians, were killed, according to police and security officials. Eight militants were subsequently killed during an overnight clearance operation.
Pakistan has repeatedly called on the Afghan Taliban authorities to prevent militant groups, particularly the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), from using Afghan soil for attacks inside Pakistan. A UN Security Council-mandated monitoring report has also linked continued support for the TTP to an increase in the frequency and lethality of terrorist attacks in Pakistan, while noting that Kabul had taken some initial steps to restrain the group.
The latest drone interceptions and cross-border clashes add to mounting tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, with Pakistani forces maintaining heightened vigilance and readiness in the border areas.