Pakistan Downs Eight Drones Amid Rising Border Tensions with Afghanistan

Pakistani security forces shot down eight drones that entered the country from Afghanistan, marking a sharp rise in border clashes between the two neighbours. Four of the drones were brought down near the Torkham border crossing, while another four were stopped in the mountainous areas of Kohat in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Security sources stated that some of these unmanned aircraft were basic models, and those near Kohat were disabled using a special soft-kill method. Officials in Islamabad claimed the drones aimed to hit public spaces and blamed the Afghan Taliban for backing anti-Pakistan militants. Afghan authorities rejected these claims and denied that their forces fired on Pakistani posts. This drone incident followed recent exchanges of heavy weapons fire along the border after Pakistani forces blocked an infiltration bid by militants coming from areas near Afghan posts in Paktia and Nangarhar provinces. Earlier, Pakistani airstrikes hit suspected hideouts of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, leaving 28 militants dead according to Pakistan's Information Ministry. Afghan officials disputed this death toll, stating that three civilians died and four others were hurt in the strikes, a casualty count confirmed by the United Nations mission in Afghanistan. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated at the United Nations General Assembly in New York that over two dozen militant groups opposed to Pakistan currently operate inside Afghanistan. The ongoing violence is also threatening mediation efforts by China, Turkiye, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia aimed at stopping the border fighting.