Pakistan on Friday rejected claims by the Afghan Taliban that it had carried out drone strikes on alleged Daesh hideouts inside Pakistan, saying the reported operation never took place.
In a statement issued through its Fact Checker account on X, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the Afghan Taliban had falsely claimed to have targeted camps in border areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan using drones.
The ministry said the claims were untrue and alleged that terrorist groups, including Daesh and several other militant organisations, operate from areas under the control of the Afghan Taliban administration.
According to the statement, a rudimentary drone launched from Afghanistan entered Pakistani airspace in Khyber district. The ministry said the drone was quickly detected and brought down by the Pakistan Air Force’s air defence system.
Officials said the Taliban administration had issued misleading statements to divert attention from concerns about militant groups operating from Afghan territory. The statement named Daesh, Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan among the groups allegedly involved in cross-border militancy.
The response came after Kabul claimed it had conducted air operations against Daesh hideouts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan on Thursday night. The Afghan defence ministry said the targets were struck by the Afghan air force.
Security concerns along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border have intensified in recent years. Pakistan has repeatedly expressed concern over militant groups using Afghan territory to launch attacks across the border.
Terror-related incidents have increased in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021. Pakistani authorities say diplomatic efforts to address the issue have produced limited results.
Earlier this year, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against militant networks, targeting what it described as terrorist elements operating from across the border.
Relations between Islamabad and Kabul remain strained as both sides continue to exchange accusations over security issues and militant activity in the region.
