Pakistan launches airstrikes on Afghan sites it says were used for cross-border drone attacks
Pakistan said it bombed ten locations in Afghanistan's Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces, claiming they were drone launch points, while Afghan officials reported four civilian deaths.
Pakistan announced that its air force struck ten targets in Afghanistan's Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces, alleging the sites were used to launch drones that attacked Pakistani territory a day earlier. Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that four civilians were killed and several injured, and condemned the strikes as aggression. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar posted on X that the raids were deliberate, calibrated and limited to legitimate military objectives linked to the alleged drone attacks.
Pakistani officials also reported neutralising eight rudimentary drones and engaging Taliban border posts with artillery after reports of mortar fire and shelling from Afghan side. The escalation comes after a series of violent incidents along the border, including a shootout in Hangu that killed six Pakistani security personnel and a suicide bombing in Kohat. International mediators from China, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia warned that the rising hostilities could derail efforts to broker a lasting peace between the two neighbours.
Why it matters
The strikes raise the risk of a broader Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict and jeopardize regional peace talks.
How this story developed
- Aug 28 Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey launch Mecca Defence Alliance, secretariat set in Riyadh
- Sep 3 Greece delivered a diplomatic note to Turkey’s Foreign Ministry, instructed by Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, contesting Turkish objections to Greek spatial planning frameworks and the creation of two national maritime parks. Athens maintains that international treaties define Aegean sovereignty and that Turkey’s own maritime park declarations overstep its jurisdiction. Both sides exchanged notes reiterating their positions, while Greece pledged to raise any unilateral Turkish actions with European partners. Despite tensions, intelligence chiefs met to keep security cooperation alive, and leaders plan to attend the UN General Assembly.
- Sep 6 Turkey reiterated its long‑standing claims over continental shelves.
- Sep 12 Chinese President Xi Jinping called on BRICS nations at the New Delhi summit to support peace initiatives in the Middle East, saying the war harms the international community.
- Sep 13 Pakistan reiterated that no immediate military response under the Makkah pact is being discussed.
- Sep 13 Leaders adopted a 140‑point New Delhi Declaration covering security, trade, climate and technology issues.
- Sep 13 The Greek prime minister publicly called for dialogue with Turkey while maintaining a formal protest over Turkey’s maritime park claims.
- Sep 13 Day 2 of the summit focused on PM Modi’s four‑pillar BRICS agenda, early‑warning and disaster systems, AI, digital agriculture, supply chains and startups.
- Sep 13 President Xi outlined proposals for a BRICS AI Open Source Zone and a China‑hosted service‑trade forum.
- Sep 16 Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a drone aimed at Mecca and accused Iran-backed Houthi rebels of the plot, which the rebels denied.
- Sep 16 Houthis seized coastal towns and islands at the mouth of the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
- Sep 19 India unveiled a BRICS Logistics Supply Chain Cooperation Framework during the summit.
- Sep 19 The Saudi Directorate of Civil Defence said the danger has passed in Riyadh and al‑Kharj and urged residents to continue following its instructions and avoid gathering or filming.
- Sep 19 The Houthis announced new missile and drone strikes on Riyadh and Yanbu.
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