Pakistan has carried out precision air and drone strikes against 10 locations in Afghanistan following drone incursions from Afghan territory, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Thursday.
Tarar said the strikes targeted locations allegedly used to launch and store drones involved in attempted attacks against Pakistan a day earlier. He described the operation as a response to what Islamabad called a violation of its sovereignty.
The latest action marks another escalation in tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which have faced repeated disputes over cross-border militancy and security.
Pakistan Says Strikes Targeted Military Sites
According to Tarar, Pakistan conducted the strikes under what he described as its sovereign right to self-defence.
He said the targets were limited to identified military objectives directly connected with the alleged drone attacks.
Tarar described the operation as “deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate.”
He also said Pakistan’s air defence systems detected, tracked and neutralised all drones that entered Pakistani territory on Wednesday before they reached their intended targets.
The minister warned that Pakistan would respond to further attacks originating from Afghan territory.
Strikes Reported in Kandahar, Paktia and Khost
Details about the exact 10 targets were not immediately released by Pakistani authorities.
However, AFP reported that an overnight airstrike hit Kandahar, where a resident said they heard a jet followed by a large explosion and a fire.
Local officials also reported strikes in eastern Afghanistan.
Mohammad Rasool Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Paktia governor, said Pakistani jets struck the Afghan army’s 203rd Mansouri Corps.
In Khost, provincial officials also reported airstrikes but said there were no casualties. Afghan authorities had not immediately provided a complete account of the reported strikes.
Pakistan Accuses Taliban of Escalating Tensions
Tarar said Islamabad had repeatedly raised concerns with the Afghan Taliban over terrorist sanctuaries and support networks allegedly operating from Afghan soil.
He accused the Taliban authorities of failing to dismantle these networks and instead escalating tensions through drone operations.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of allowing militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to operate from its territory. Afghan authorities have rejected such accusations.
The dispute has contributed to a wider deterioration in relations between the two neighbours.
Pakistan Warns Against Further Attacks
Tarar said Pakistan would not accept attacks launched from Afghan territory, whether they came from militant groups or Afghan authorities.
He called on the Taliban administration to stop what he described as hostile activity and take “effective, concrete, verifiable and sustained action” against terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan.
At the same time, Tarar said Pakistan remained committed to regional peace, dialogue and constructive engagement.
However, he warned that Islamabad’s preference for dialogue should not be interpreted as an unlimited tolerance of hostile actions.
Kabul Position Remains Contested
The latest strikes come amid growing tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had denied that Taliban forces carried out the drone attacks Pakistan referred to, according to international reporting.
The Afghan government had not immediately issued a detailed response to Thursday’s strikes.
The situation remains fluid as both sides continue to exchange accusations over cross-border attacks and militant activity.
Another Escalation in Pakistan-Afghanistan Tensions
The latest strikes follow Pakistani airstrikes earlier this week that Islamabad said killed militants in eastern Afghanistan.
Afghan officials and the United Nations reported civilian deaths from those earlier strikes, while Pakistan maintained that it had targeted militants.
The new operation could further complicate efforts by regional countries to reduce tensions between Islamabad and Kabul.
For now, Pakistan says the strikes were limited to military targets linked to the alleged drone attacks, while Afghanistan’s response to the latest operation remains awaited.
For the latest updates, visit and follow The Truth International website (www.thetruthinternational.com) and subscribe to the YouTube Channel.
