‘Rudimentary’ drones launched by Afghan Taliban injure 4, fail to reach targets: ISPR
At least four people, including two children, were injured when the Afghan Taliban launched a “few rudimentary” drones, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Saturday.
On Friday evening, security sources said that two rudimentary drones were intercepted at different locations adjacent to Rawalpindi but were successfully brought down through electronic countermeasures.
The military’s media wing said today that the drones were intercepted through “soft and hard kills” and did not reach their intended targets.
According to the ISPR, two children were injured in Quetta, a civilian was injured in Kohat and another in Rawalpindi.
“These attacks were aimed at inducing fear in the public and remind us of the terrorist mindset which drives the Afghan Taliban.”
The military’s media wing added that while the Afghan Taliban “project victimhood to garner global sympathy”, on the other hand, they “actively target civilians through their terrorist proxies and their drones”.
“Pakistan’s people and its Armed Forces are absolutely clear about the true nature and intentions of the terrorist militia-for-hire that rules Afghanistan,” said the statement by the ISPR.
The military said Operation Ghazab lil-Haq will continue till the Afghan Taliban address Pakistan’s core concern regarding terrorism originating from Afghan soil.
“Pakistan’s Armed Forces stand steadfast in the fight against terrorism and its manifestations, like the drone attacks by Afghan Taliban.”
The statement added that the armed forces will continue defending the people of Pakistan from terrorists and “shall not flinch in the face of such provocations by the Afghan Taliban”.
A day earlier, the information ministry said, “two rudimentary drones of terrorist Fitna al-Khawarij, nurtured by the Afghan Taliban regime, were successfully intercepted by the Pakistan security forces using electronic countermeasures”.
Fitna al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
It added that “no military or other infrastructure was hit, other than minor damage due to debris of the forced crashing of drones”, dismissing claims made by Afghan officials, who claimed to have targeted a military installation.
The Pakistan Airports Authority said in a post on X — which was later deleted — that flight operations at Islamabad International Airport experienced a “brief operational adjustment”.
The statement came after multiple media outlets reported that Islamabad International Airport had been closed for flights.
In a later statement, however, the authority said that reports circulating about the closure of Islamabad’s airspace were “baseless”.
The drone attacks came after the armed forces carried out overnight air strikes against terrorist positions and support locations in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia.
In a post on X, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that Pakistan had successfully targeted 70 terrorist-affiliated installations in Kabul, Paktia and Kandahar, including logistic bases and camps that “directly or indirectly support terrorism from inside Afghanistan”.
‘Crossed a red line’: President Zardari condemns attacks
President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the drone attacks carried out yesterday that he said were aimed at targeting civilian areas in Pakistan, according to a press release by the president’s media wing.
“The illegitimate regime of Afghanistan, installed by terror and brute force, continues to renege on its commitments not to provide safe sanctuaries to terrorist groups and now has the audacity to provoke a major military power of the Islamic world,” the statement quoted President Zardari as saying.
It added that the Afghan terrorist regime “crossed a red line by attempting to target our civilians” despite Pakistan’s efforts to promote peace and stability in the Gulf region and West Asia, and warned that it had brought “grave consequences” on itself.
The president expressed his best wishes for the speedy recovery of those injured by the debris from the attacks in Quetta, Kohat and Rawalpindi. He reaffirmed that Pakistan’s armed forces and security institutions remained “fully committed to the defence of the country and the protection of its people”, the statement said.