Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated sharply on Friday after reports of cross-border drone strikes targeting multiple locations in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
According to Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar, drones originating from Afghanistan entered Pakistani airspace and headed toward Abbottabad, Swabi, and Nowshera. He said Pakistan’s air defense systems successfully intercepted and destroyed all incoming drones, claiming there were no casualties or material damage.
However, Afghanistan’s Taliban-led Ministry of Defense earlier announced that its air force had carried out what it described as “successful strikes” on several Pakistani military installations, including a site in the capital Islamabad. Afghan authorities said the operation was conducted in retaliation for alleged Pakistani airstrikes in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia province.
The Afghan statement claimed that targets included military facilities in Faizabad (Islamabad), a camp in Nowshera, a base in Jamrud, and a military complex in Abbottabad.
The latest escalation follows reports of an overnight clash on Thursday along the border in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, where Afghan forces allegedly launched a surprise attack on Pakistani troops. Pakistan responded with retaliatory strikes, and exchanges reportedly continued into Friday afternoon.
The rapidly deteriorating security situation has raised concerns of a broader confrontation between the two neighboring countries, which share a long and historically volatile border.
