Pakistan's military said on Wednesday it intercepted and destroyed four drones launched from Afghanistan into Balochistan, days after Islamabad carried out cross-border strikes against what it described as militant hideouts in eastern Afghanistan, further escalating tensions between the neighbours.

The escalation follows the 29 June terrorist attack on a Pakistan Rangers compound in Karachi.

Pakistan blamed the Karachi attack on Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), saying the group operated from Afghan territory. Islamabad said 29 militants were killed in the subsequent operation and later summoned Afghanistan's chargé d'affaires, alleging that Afghan nationals had participated in the attack.

Afghanistan's Taliban administration rejected Pakistan's account, saying the strikes hit residential areas rather than militant targets. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said at least 28 people were killed. Afghan authorities put the civilian death toll at 36 and said more than 160 people were injured. Pakistan has disputed those figures.

Pakistan details drone interception

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Afghan Taliban regime launched four "rudimentary drones" across the border into Balochistan on 30 June "as part of their patronisation and support of terrorist outfits operating from inside their controlled territories."

ISPR said "the hostile aerial platforms were immediately picked up by Pakistan's robust air defence network." It added that "demonstrating a high level of operational readiness, the security forces successfully neutralised all four incoming drones using sophisticated countermeasures."

"As a result of the swift and effective response, the hostile attempts were successfully foiled," the military said.

The statement added that such actions by the Afghan Taliban regime appeared to be aimed at misleading the Afghan population, which it said continued to suffer under its rule. "The Taliban should realise that such irresponsible behaviour only adds to the hardships faced by the Afghans," it said.

Kabul reports strikes inside Pakistan as Moscow calls for dialogue

Afghanistan's Defence Ministry later said its forces had carried out airstrikes against what it described as Daesh positions in Pakistan's Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, inflicting "heavy casualties and material losses" on the militant group. Deputy spokesperson Siddiqullah Nusrat said the operation was conducted "with great precision" and resulted in "no civilian casualties." Pakistan has not confirmed the Afghan account.

Russia's Foreign Ministry called for an end to the military exchanges. In a statement, it said: "The Russian side urges Islamabad and Kabul to end the armed conflict and resolve disputed issues through political and diplomatic means."

Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan's Taliban administration of allowing the TTP and affiliated militant groups to use Afghan territory to plan attacks inside Pakistan.

The latest developments add to months of strained relations between the neighbours, including border clashes, diplomatic protests and disruptions to cross-border trade, underscoring the security challenges along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier.

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