Pakistan Targets Cross-Border Drone Hubs with Precision Air Strikes in Afghanistan

Pakistan has announced that it carried out air strikes on 10 locations in Afghanistan used to store and launch drones, following cross-border attacks. The military action on Thursday occurred amid escalating tensions between the former allies over armed groups operating within Pakistan, which previously sparked severe clashes in February.

While Islamabad maintains that Kabul is harbouring fighters who launch cross-border assaults, Afghanistan’s Taliban government denies sheltering anti-Pakistani armed groups, insisting that the violence is an internal matter for Pakistan.

Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated on X that the air strikes were "deliberate, precise, calibrated, and proportionate, and strictly limited to identified military objectives directly linked to the attempted attacks against Pakistan." He also condemned what he termed a "deliberate and unlawful incursion into Pakistan by drones" that occurred on Wednesday, calling it a violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Mustaghfir Gurbaz, spokesperson for the Khost governor, confirmed that the air strikes targeted several areas of Khost province in southeastern Afghanistan, though no casualties were reported.

The recent violence follows an attack on a police facility in northwestern Pakistan last week that resulted in at least 21 deaths, reigniting hostilities after a period of relative calm. A Pakistan Taliban faction claimed responsibility for that blast and the ensuing gun battle.

Earlier on Monday, Afghan officials reported that air strikes hitting three locations in northeastern Afghanistan killed three civilians in the Nurgal district of Kunar province, while Islamabad claimed to have killed 28 "terrorists". This renewed escalation threatens ongoing mediation efforts by China, Turkiye, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia aimed at achieving lasting peace between the two neighbours.