The Pakistani military on Wednesday downed four drones launched by the Afghan Taliban along the Pak-Afghan border in Balochistan, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
In a statement, the military’s media wing said the interim Afghan Taliban government had launched the “rudimentary” drones as continuation of their “patronization and support of” terrorist outfits operating from inside Afghanistan.
Crediting Pakistan’s robust air defense network for “immediately” identifying the hostile aerial platforms, the ISPR said security forces had demonstrated high operational readiness in successfully neutralizing all four incoming drones using sophisticated countermeasures. “Due to the swift and effective response, the malicious attempts were effectively thwarted,” it said.
In a statement, Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the drones, claiming they had targeted centers of the Daesh terrorist group. Rubbishing these claims, the ISPR said “such gimmicks” aimed to mislead an Afghan population suffering under the oppressive regime.
“The Afghan Taliban should realize that their irresponsible behavior is only adding to the hardships of the Afghan people. Instead of trying to sedate their population through such antics and hollow rhetoric, they should eschew sponsorship of terrorism and adhere to the principle of peaceful coexistence,” it said. It further warned that if the Afghan Taliban continued to provoke Pakistan, they would receive a “befitting response which would cost them heavily.”
The military’s media wing stressed that the Pakistan armed forces remained fully vigilant and capable of defending every inch of the motherland. “Any misadventures or cross-border provocations threatening the sovereignty of Pakistan and endangering our people will continue to be met with swift, decisive, and overwhelming responses under Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq,” it added.
Pakistan has experienced resurgent terrorism since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021. Repeated calls by Islamabad for Kabul to curb terrorists sheltering on its soil have prompted little action, deteriorating ties between the neighboring states.
Earlier this week, the Foreign Office issued a demarche to the Afghan Charge d’Affaires over the terrorist attack on a Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) camp in Karachi. One of the attackers said he was an Afghan national who had been “trained” in Afghanistan.