Eight Drones Shot Down After Entering Pakistani Airspace

Pakistani security sources said on Wednesday that eight drones entered Pakistan’s airspace from the Afghanistan side early in the morning and were subsequently brought down by the country’s air-defence systems.

According to the security sources, the drones entered Pakistani airspace in separate areas along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Pakistan’s armed forces and air-defence units detected the alleged incursions and responded by intercepting all eight unmanned aerial vehicles.

The sources claimed that four drones were brought down in areas adjacent to the Torkham border, while another four were shot down in mountainous areas near the border adjoining Kohat.

The security sources described the alleged drone incursions as an attempt to target public areas inside Pakistan. They said that the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force responded professionally and thwarted what they characterized as an effort to cause damage to civilian locations.

Pakistan’s security sources further said that the incident represented another indication of what they described as direct support and patronage of militant groups by the Afghan Taliban authorities.

Pakistani security sources said that Pakistani forces had carried out strikes against several Afghan Taliban positions and installations in the Kurram sector. According to the sources, the action was taken in response to what Pakistan described as provocative firing from across the border.

The reported incidents add to already heightened security tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier, particularly in areas surrounding Kurram, Torkham and the mountainous border regions adjoining Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Pakistan has repeatedly expressed concerns about militant activity originating from or operating from Afghan territory, while Afghan authorities have disputed Pakistani accusations concerning the presence and activities of militant groups on Afghan soil.

Pakistani security sources said the country’s armed forces remain on heightened readiness and are prepared to respond to threats to Pakistan’s territory and civilian population.