Pakistan claims eight drones from Afghanistan shot down amid fresh border clashes

Representational image. File pic

Pakistan's security forces on Wednesday shot down eight drones allegedly launched from Afghanistan after they entered Pakistani airspace, security sources said, as fresh clashes along the border added to tensions between the two neighbouring countries.

Four drones were brought down near the Torkham border and another four in mountainous areas near Kohat in northwest Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, the sources said.
The claims could not be independently verified.

Some of the drones were described as rudimentary models, with those detected near Kohat neutralised through a "soft-kill" operation, the sources said.

Pakistani authorities alleged that the drones were intended to target public areas and described the incident as further evidence of what they called the Afghan Taliban's support for militants operating against Pakistan.

The drone incident came amid fresh exchanges of fire along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border after Pakistani officials said security forces had foiled an infiltration attempt by militants from areas near Afghan border posts in Paktia and Nangarhar provinces.

According to Pakistani officials, Afghan Taliban forces subsequently fired mortars and other heavy weapons at Pakistani border posts, prompting Pakistani troops to respond with artillery fire targeting Taliban posts, mortar sites and defensive positions.

Afghanistan denied Pakistan's claim, with the Taliban government rejecting allegations that Afghan Taliban forces had attacked Pakistani positions.

The latest escalation follows Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan two days ago, which Islamabad said targeted camps and hideouts of militants belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Pakistan's Information Ministry said on Monday that 28 militants, including several suicide bombers, were killed in the strikes. Afghan authorities disputed the account, saying at least three civilians were killed and four others wounded in villages in Afghan territory.

The UN mission in Afghanistan confirmed the civilian casualties, while Kabul formally protested the strikes.

The TTP is separate from but allied with the Afghan Taliban, which returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban government in Kabul of sheltering TTP leaders and allowing militants to use Afghan territory to carry out attacks inside Pakistan, while Kabul has consistently denied the allegations.

The latest confrontation is part of a broader deterioration in relations between Islamabad and Kabul, with cross-border violence and accusations of militant activity straining ties.

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed concern over what he said was the presence of more than two dozen anti-Pakistani militant groups in Afghanistan.

The renewed fighting also threatens efforts by China, Turkiye, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to mediate between Islamabad and Kabul and bring an end to the recurring border hostilities.

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