Pakistan’s military said on Wednesday that its air defence systems had intercepted and destroyed four drones that Afghanistan’s Taliban administration launched into the southwestern province of Balochistan, marking the latest flashpoint in a rapidly deteriorating bilateral relationship.
The military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), accused the Taliban regime of backing militant groups that target Pakistan.
“On 30 June, Afghan Taliban regime launched four (4) rudimentary drones across the border in Balochistan as part of their patronization and support of terrorist outfits operating from inside their controlled territories,” ISPR said. Pakistan’s forces detected the drones immediately and neutralised them “using sophisticated countermeasures,” the statement added, warning that further provocation “would receive a befitting response.”
Cross-Border Strikes Fuel Dispute
The incident follows Pakistani air and ground strikes carried out on Sunday against alleged militant hideouts in Afghanistan’s Paktia, Paktika and Kunar provinces. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the operation killed 29 militants and responded to “recent terrorist attacks against innocent people,” including a June assault on a Rangers camp in Karachi that Islamabad blamed on Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a Pakistani Taliban faction.
Afghan officials, however, rejected Pakistan’s account entirely, saying the strikes struck residential areas, killing 36 civilians and wounding more than 160 others, and they condemned the assault as a “cowardly act” and an “atrocity.” Neither side’s figures have received independent verification.
Relations at a Breaking Point
Consequently, ties between the two neighbours have collapsed since late 2025, despite an October ceasefire that briefly eased hostilities following earlier deadly clashes. Since then, border confrontations in October 2025 and February 2026 have left dozens of soldiers dead on both sides, while a March strike on a Kabul drug rehabilitation centre reportedly killed hundreds.
Pakistan has also shut most trade crossings with Afghanistan, disrupting commerce and transit routes that Kabul relies on heavily. As tensions show no sign of easing, regional observers fear further escalation could destabilise an already fragile border region.
