ISLAMABAD: Pakistan conducted precision aerial and drone strikes at 10 locations across Afghanistan in retaliation for drones launched from the neighbouring country a day earlier, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in the early hours of Thursday.
Earlier, on Sept 21, in response to recent terrorist attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan had conducted “calibrated” air strikes in the border region with Afghanistan against terrorist hideouts and safe havens of terrorist organisations, eliminating over 28 terrorists.
“In exercise of its sovereign right to self-defence, Pakistan conducted precision aerial and drone strikes against 10 locations in Afghanistan used for launching and storing these drones,” Mr Tarar wrote on X on Thursday.
He added that the strikes were “deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate, and strictly limited to identified military objectives directly linked to the attempted attacks against Pakistan”. The response came after eight drones, launched from Afghanistan, entered Pakistani airspace near the Torkham border and Kohat on Wednesday. Security sources said they were subsequently shot down.
It was also reported that the Afghan Taliban engaged in unprovoked firing the night before near Kurram as security forces foiled an attempt by terrorists to cross into Pakistan. In his X post, Mr Tarar condemned Wednesday’s “deliberate and unlawful” drone incursion, calling it a “blatant violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and describing the attacks as a “grave and unacceptable act of aggression”.
The information minister said Pakistan had conveyed its concerns to the Afghan Taliban over terrorist elements emanating from Afghan soil and the presence of terrorist sanctuaries.
However, he noted that rather than dismantling the terrorist networks and taking action against them, the Afghan Taliban had chosen to “escalate the situation through hostile drone operations against Pakistan”.
Warning to Kabul
Mr Tarar said Pakistan would “neither accept nor tolerate” attacks from Afghan territory, whether by terrorist groups or the Afghan Taliban regime itself.
He warned that any violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty would be met with “an immediate and decisive response”.
“Any threats, denials or attempts to deflect responsibility by [the] Afghan Taliban will neither alter the facts nor constrain Pakistan’s inherent right to defend its territory, its people and its national security,” he added.
Mr Tarar vowed that the country would defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity and the lives of its citizens with “full resolve” and take all necessary measures to protect them. “Any further provocative act by [the] Afghan Taliban will be responded with [a] firm and resolute response,” the minister warned. In another post, the minister shared footage of the aerial and drone strikes.
Border clash
Later on Thursday night, Pakistani troops responded to an attack by Afghan Taliban forces and destroyed several Afghan Army border posts along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, officials said. “Afghan Taliban forces initially shelled Pakistani border villages,” an official said, adding that the Afghan side fell silent after Pakistani forces launched a befitting retaliatory action.
State-run APP reported that several Afghan Taliban were killed after they attempted to cross into Pakistani territory in the Gulistan sector, in what officials described as an act of aggression. Pakistani forces “responded effectively”, the sources said, repelling the incursion.
Sporadic exchanges of fire continued in the area on Thursday, with Pakistani troops remaining on high alert, sources added. Security forces stated they were fully prepared to respond to any further infiltration or hostile activity from across the border.
Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2026
