In brief
The Taliban said they launched drone strikes along Pakistan’s southern border, injuring several people, after Pakistan carried out an air campaign killing civilians in Afghanistan. Pakistani forces shot down four low‑flying drones and warned against further provocations. Both sides accuse each other of targeting civilians, a claim the Taliban denies and Pakistan counters with claims of militant targets. The conflict, which began after a ceasefire in October, has seen intermittent clashes and mutual accusations of terrorism, raising fears of a broader escalation.
Afghan Taliban say they carried out drone strikes on the border with Pakistan, injuring several residents in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, according to the on‑tissue Taliban spokesperson. Pakistan’s army announced it had downed four rudimentary drones and warned that any further provocation would trigger a “befitting response.” The BBC has been unable to confirm the attack from a neutral source.
The clashes come after Pakistan launched airstrikes on Afghanistan earlier this week that the United Nations reports killed 28 civilians. Both sides have re‑intensified their fighting after a tentative ceasefire was reached in October.
Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan of harboring militants who attack its territory, a claim the Taliban rejects. Kabul has counter‑accused Islamabad of launching attacks that kill civilians, insisting its own operations target militants only. The United Nations records the Afghan side’s recent airstrikes as having struck civilian homes, raising the death toll to 36 and leaving more than 160 injured.
Islamabad’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said 29 militants were killed in a ground operation that followed “recent terrorist attacks against innocent people.” No independent source could verify those figures, and Pakistan highlighted that it struck hideouts in Afghanistan’s Paktia, Paktika and Kunar provinces.
Border clashes and air attacks have killed dozens in recent months. In February, exchanges between the two countries left many dead; in March, a Pakistani strike on a Kabul rehabilitation centre killed hundreds. Earlier in June, Pakistan launched deadly air strikes that killed 26 militants, while Taliban forces reported 13 casualties—mostly children—on the Afghan side.
