Pakistan shot down eight drones along the Afghan border on Wednesday after they entered the country’s airspace from Afghanistan, security sources said, in an incident that sharply underscores the fragile security situation along the frontier.
According to the sources, the armed forces’ air defence system detected all eight unmanned aircraft in time and intercepted them, foiling the attempted intrusion. Four drones were brought down in areas adjacent to the Torkham border crossing, while the remaining four were shot down in mountainous areas near Kohat.
The sources said the air defence system deployed along the Pak-Afghan border and operated by the Pakistan Air Force remains fully operational and ready round the clock. The wreckage of the downed drones is being recovered and taken into custody, they added.
Describing the intrusion as evidence of the Afghan Taliban regime’s direct support and patronage of terrorists, the sources called it a “cowardly attempt” that was successfully thwarted by the armed forces.
Separately, the sources said security forces foiled an infiltration attempt by Fitna al-Khawarij militants from Afghanistan into the Kurram sector last night. The infiltration bid was made under the supervision of the Afghan Taliban from posts located in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar and Paktia provinces, but was effectively repulsed by Pakistani troops deployed along the border, according to the sources.
Following the failed infiltration attempt, the Afghan Taliban opened unprovoked fire on Pakistani border posts using heavy weapons, mortars and other arms, the sources added. Security forces responded by targeting multiple Afghan Taliban border posts, mortar positions and defensive locations with small and heavy weapons, including artillery.
Wednesday’s developments came two days after Pakistan carried out an intelligence-based ground operation and airstrikes targeting militant safe havens in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including in the border region with Afghanistan, the Ministry of Information said on Monday.
The action was taken in the aftermath of recent multiple terrorist incidents, including deadly Kohat attacks that claimed the lives of at least 22 people, including police personnel.
“A well planned intelligence-based ground operation was carried out by security forces around Kohat, Hangu and Thal, followed by calibrated air strikes against the hideouts and safe havens of terrorists organisations responsible for these attacks,” the ministry announced in a post on X.
The ministry said security forces conducted the intelligence-based operation and targeted the safe havens of militant organisations responsible for a spate of attacks across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which had resulted in the martyrdom of civilians and security personnel.
The ground operation against a group of militants was conducted on September 20 in Kohat and Hangu districts, resulting in the killing of nine militants and injuries to several others, it added.
“Moreover, based on credible intelligence, selective targeting of terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Fitna al Khwarij and its affiliates has also been carried out in the border region with Afghanistan with precision and accuracy,” the ministry said.
It added that three targets were destroyed, including a suicide bomber training centre, killing 28 militants, along with several suicide bombers.
The reported shootdown of eight drones and the foiled infiltration attempt in Kurram mark the latest flashpoints along a border that has seen repeated clashes in recent months. The sequence of events — a ground operation in Kohat and Hangu, precision airstrikes on militant camps in the border region, and now the interception of unmanned aircraft near Torkham and Kohat — points to a sustained military campaign on both sides of the frontier.
The air defence response, described by security sources as timely and effective, also signals that Pakistan’s military remains on high alert along the Pak-Afghan boundary. The recovery of the drone wreckage is expected to provide further evidence of the origin and nature of the intrusion, even as officials continue to point to Afghan Taliban patronage of militant groups operating from Afghan soil.
With security forces responding to unprovoked firing on border posts and repulsing infiltration attempts, the situation along the Pak-Afghan border remains tense. The coming days will determine whether the intercepted drones and the failed infiltration mark a temporary spike in hostilities or a more prolonged escalation between the two neighbours.
Source: Geo News