ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces intercepted multiple Afghan Taliban drones before they could reach targets in Pakistan, the Pakistani military said on Saturday, with at least four civilians injured by the falling debris.
The incidents in Quetta, Kohat and Rawalpindi follow cross-border strikes and clashes between the neighbors since late last month over a surge in militancy in Pakistan's western regions that border Afghanistan.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said on Saturday the drones were intercepted through soft and hard kills and “did not reach their intended targets.”
“The debris from these drones resulted in injuries to two children in Quetta and a civilian each in Kohat and Rawalpindi,” it said. “These attacks were aimed at inducing fear in the public and remind us of the terrorist mindset which drives the Afghan Taliban.”
Eleven-year-old Amna, who was injured during what locals say was a possible drone that hit a residential house in the Sarah Gharghai area, receives medical aid at the Trauma Centre, in the Civil Hospital in Quetta, Pakistan, on March 13, 2026. (REUTERS)
The incidents came after Pakistan announced it had carried out “precision strikes” against militant camps and support infrastructure inside Afghanistan. Taliban authorities said the strikes had hit civilians and damaged infrastructure in Kabul and other provinces near the border.
The two countries have witnessed fierce clashes since the Afghan Taliban launched attacks on Pakistani border posts on Feb. 26. Kabul said the assault was retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes earlier in Feb., which Islamabad said had targeted militant camps inside Afghanistan.
Pakistan has long accused the Taliban government of allowing militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to operate from Afghan soil, a charge Kabul denies.
“Pakistan’s Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq shall continue till the Afghan Taliban address Pakistan’s core concern with respect to terrorism originating from Afghan soil,” the ISPR said.
On Friday, Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said the Pakistani military has killed more than 650 Afghan Taliban fighters and destroyed 70 militant infrastructure sites since the latest round of fighting began.
