Pakistan airstrikes destroy 10 drone bases in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has destroyed terrorist hideouts and support infrastructure, including drone launching and storage facilities, at 10 locations in Afghanistan following an attempted drone attack launched from Afghan territory on September 23, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said on Thursday.

In an update on Operation Ghazablil Haq, the minister said precision aerial and drone strikes had comprehensively destroyed the identified targets in areas under the control of the Afghan Taliban regime.

Sharing footage of the strikes on social media platform X, Tarar said the targeted facilities were linked to terrorist attacks against unarmed civilians inside Pakistan and the attempted drone intrusion by the Afghan Taliban regime on September 23.

Earlier, the minister said Pakistan’s air defence systems had detected, tracked and neutralised all intruding drones before they could reach their intended targets, completely thwarting the attempted attack.

Pakistan strongly condemned the drone incursion, describing it as a deliberate and unlawful violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity and a grave act of aggression.

Tarar said Pakistan had repeatedly conveyed its concerns to the Afghan Taliban regime regarding the continued presence of terrorist sanctuaries and support networks on Afghan soil. However, instead of dismantling these networks and taking credible action against elements using Afghan territory to carry out attacks against Pakistan, the Afghan Taliban regime had escalated the situation through hostile drone operations.

He maintained that Pakistan’s retaliatory strikes were deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate, and strictly limited to identified military objectives directly linked to the attempted attacks.

The minister warned that Pakistan would neither accept nor tolerate attacks originating from Afghan territory, whether carried out by terrorist organisations or the Afghan Taliban regime itself.

Any violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty would be met with an immediate and decisive response, he said, adding that threats, denials or attempts to evade responsibility would not constrain Pakistan’s right to defend its territory, people and national security.

Tarar called upon the Afghan Taliban regime to immediately cease hostile activities against Pakistan and fulfil its international obligations by taking effective, concrete, verifiable and sustained action against terrorist entities operating from Afghan soil.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace, dialogue and constructive engagement, the minister said Islamabad did not seek further escalation but would take all necessary measures to protect its citizens and territorial integrity. “Any further provocative act by Afghan Taliban will be responded with firm and resolute response,” he warned.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026