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.
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.
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.
Turkic states are assessing the feasibility of passport-free travel between countries using national ID cards, Kürşad Zorlu, the Deputy Chair...
Türkiye has banned children under 15 from using social media under new regulations published on Saturday. ...
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed surprise after Donald Trump mediated the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement in 2025, the U.S. President ...
Leaders of countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have agreed to hold coordinated population censuses around 2030. They took the decision at the CIS Council of Heads of State meeting in Awaza, Turkmenistan on Friday, media reported.
Britain and Israel have reached a temporary compromise over the future of the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem, easing a diplomatic dispute that had threatened to further strain relations between the two countries.
South African judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday “for her efforts to promote peace and international law,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.
The Nobel Peace Prize 2026 will be announced on Friday, 9 October, bringing one of the world's most closely watched awards back into focus.
The U.S. has imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday (9 October) escalating tensions with European allies and potentially targeting companies that provide services to the tribunal. The move came hours after former ICC judge Navi Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Turkic states are assessing the feasibility of passport-free travel between countries using national ID cards, Kürşad Zorlu, the Deputy Chairman of Türkiye’s ruling AK Party said on Saturday.
European Union measures suspending import duties on 80 per cent of Armenian exports to the bloc came into effect on Saturday. The temporary liberalisation measures are aimed at supporting Armenian producers and exporters following trade restrictions imposed on the country's products by Russia.
Georgia is enjoying one of its biggest and highest-quality grape harvests since independence. By 6 October, growers in the country's main wine-producing region, Kakheti, had delivered 182,210 tonnes of grapes, with 99 per cent rated medium or high quality, despite recent protests over prices.
Uzbekistan has unveiled plans to deepen economic ties with Central Asia and Azerbaijan, proposing shared artificial intelligence infrastructure, a critical minerals alliance and a regional trade strategy extending to 2035.
Leaders of countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have agreed to hold coordinated population censuses around 2030. They took the decision at the CIS Council of Heads of State meeting in Awaza, Turkmenistan on Friday, media reported.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment