Pakistan's security forces on Wednesday shot down eight drones that allegedly entered Pakistani airspace from Afghanistan, according to Pakistani security sources, as fresh fighting along the border added to tensions between the two neighbouring countries.
Four of the drones were brought down near the Torkham border, while another four were intercepted in mountainous areas near Kohat in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, the sources said. Pakistani authorities alleged that the drones were intended to target public areas.
The claims could not be independently verified. Afghanistan has rejected Pakistan's allegation that the drones were sent from its territory.
Some of the drones were described as rudimentary models. Pakistani security sources said those detected near Kohat were neutralised through a “soft-kill” operation. The country's air defence systems along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border were reported to remain on alert.
Pakistani authorities described the incident as further evidence of what they alleged was support by the Afghan Taliban for militants operating against Pakistan. Islamabad has repeatedly accused Kabul of allowing militant groups, particularly the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to operate from Afghan territory. The Taliban government has denied the allegations.
Fresh clashes along the border
The drone incident came amid renewed exchanges of fire along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Pakistani officials said security forces had foiled an attempted infiltration by militants from areas near Afghan border posts in Paktia and Nangarhar provinces.
According to Pakistani officials, Afghan Taliban forces subsequently fired mortars and other heavy weapons at Pakistani border posts. Pakistani troops responded with artillery fire directed at Taliban posts, mortar positions and defensive locations.
Afghanistan rejected Pakistan's account and denied that Afghan Taliban forces had attacked Pakistani positions.
Tensions follow Pakistani airstrikes
The latest confrontation came two days after Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan. Islamabad said the strikes targeted camps and hideouts of militants belonging to the banned TTP.
Pakistan's Information Ministry said on Monday that 28 militants, including several suicide bombers, were killed in the strikes. Afghan authorities disputed the account, saying at least three civilians were killed and four others wounded in villages inside Afghan territory. The UN mission in Afghanistan confirmed the reported civilian casualties, while Kabul formally protested the strikes.
The TTP is separate from, but allied with, the Afghan Taliban, which returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban government in Kabul of sheltering TTP leaders and allowing militants to use Afghan territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul has consistently rejected those accusations.
Diplomatic tensions and mediation efforts
The latest fighting is part of a broader deterioration in relations between Islamabad and Kabul, with cross-border violence and mutual accusations over militant activity further straining ties.
On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed concern over what he said was the presence of more than two dozen anti-Pakistani militant groups in Afghanistan. He has also called for concrete and verifiable measures to prevent Afghan territory from being used for terrorism against neighbouring countries, particularly Pakistan.
The renewed border violence also threatens ongoing mediation efforts involving China, Türkiye, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which have been seeking to help Islamabad and Kabul address their recurring disputes and reduce cross-border hostilities.