Pakistan military airstrikes destroy 10 drone bases in Afghanistan
Attaullah Tarar confirms air attacks were in retaliation for drone strikes against Pakistan: Warns any violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty will meet ‘an immediate and decisive response’
Pakistan military has launched a string of precision aerial and drone strikes in 10 locations across Afghanistan in retaliation for drones launched from the neighbouring country a day earlier, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Confirming the development, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said early Thursday: “In exercise of its sovereign right to self-defence, Pakistan conducted precision aerial and drone strikes against 10 locations in Afghanistan used for launching and storing these drones.”
In a post uploaded on social media platform X, the minister said the strikes were “deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate and strictly limited to identified military objectives directly linked to the attempted attacks against Pakistan”.
Tarar also condemned Wednesday’s “deliberate and unlawful” drone incursion, calling it a “blatant violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”. He maintained that the drone attacks were a “grave and unacceptable act of aggression”.
The minister said Pakistan had conveyed its concerns to the Afghan Taliban over the terrorist elements emanating from Afghan soil and the presence of terrorist sanctuaries. However, he noted that rather than dismantling the terrorist networks and taking action against them, the Afghan Taliban chose to “escalate the situation through hostile drone operations against Pakistan”.
He said that in Wednesday’s attack, Pakistan’s Air Defence systems had “detected, tracked and neutralised all intruding platforms before they could reach any of their intended targets, comprehensively thwarting the attempted attack”.
Tarar said that Pakistan will “neither accept nor tolerate” attacks from Afghan territory — whether by terrorist groups or the Afghan Taliban regime itself. He warned against violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty, vowing that it will be met with “an immediate and decisive response”.
The minister remarked: “Any threats, denials or attempts to deflect responsibility by the Afghan Taliban will neither alter the facts nor constrain Pakistan’s inherent right to defend its territory, its people and its national security.”
Tarar called upon the Afghan Taliban to halt immediately “hostile activity” and abide by international obligations “by taking effective, concrete, verifiable and sustained action against terrorist entities operating from Afghan soil”.
The minister warned that the Afghan territory should not be used for attacks against Pakistan. He maintained that Pakistan remained committed to “regional peace, dialogue and constructive engagement” and was not seeking escalation. However, the information minister warned: “This commitment must not be mistaken for weakness or an unlimited tolerance of hostile actions”.
Tarar vowed that the country will defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity and the lives of citizens with “full resolve and take all necessary measures to protect them”.
“Any further provocative act by the Afghan Taliban will be responded with a firm and resolute response,” the minister added.
Update-Ghazab lil Haq
— Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) September 24, 2026
Islamabad, 24 September 2026;
Pakistan condemns in the strongest possible terms the deliberate and unlawful incursion into Pakistan by drones on 23 September 2026, launched from Afghan territory. This constitutes a blatant violation of Pakistan’s…
AFP adds: The overnight airstrikes hit the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. A Kandahar resident told AFP Thursday they heard a jet, then a large explosion, followed by a fire in the centre of the city.
Local officials told AFP Thursday that Pakistan had struck in two places in eastern Afghan provinces overnight.
In Paktia, jets bombed the Afghan army's 203rd Mansouri Corps, said Mohammad Rasool Ahmadi, the governor's spokesman, without providing any information on casualties.
Airstrikes also targeted Khost province without causing casualties, said Mustaghfa Gurbaz, the governor's spokesman there.
Although there have been multiple such attacks in the border area, strikes on Afghan cities are rare.
Afghanistan's military and government officials did not immediately respond to AFP requests to comment on the strikes.
Hours later, Pakistan's Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar confirmed air and drone strikes. "Pakistan conducted precision aerial and drone strikes against 10 locations in Afghanistan," Tarar said on X.