2 'rudimentary drones' fired by Afghan Taliban shot down near Kohat: security sources

Pakistan armed forces on Wednesday shot down two “rudimentary drones” fired by the Afghan Taliban regime, seven kilometres away from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohat city. According to security sources, “On September 23, security forces shot down by soft kill 2 rudimentary drones fired by [the] Afghan Taliban regime 7km from Kohat city.” Pakistan armed forces’ air defence systems’ vigilance and professionalism are active around the clock “against all threats from the Kharjistan”, the sources said. The development comes two days after Pakistan conducted “calibrated” airstrikes in the border region with Afghanistan against terrorist hideouts and safe havens of terrorist organisations responsible for the recent multiple terrorist incidents. A statement from the information ministry said that over 28 terrorists were eliminated in the strikes. “It is a matter of grave concern that Afghanistan continues to remain a hub of terrorism,” the ministry said at the time, specifying that the “threat to Pakistan emanates from Afghanistan”. The airstrikes came after a major attack in the old Police Lines in KP’s Kohat claimed 23 lives and injured about 100 others. Eight terrorists were killed during an overnight clearance operation launched to clear the area. In July, the Afghan Taliban regime launched four rudimentary drones across the border into Balochistan, which were shot down by security forces. Two drones were also shot down in June in Qila Abdullah and Chagai districts. There has been a resurgence in terrorism in Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. On Sept 20, two officers and four others were martyred while eight terrorists were eliminated during a fire exchange between a security forces convoy and armed combatants, the military’s media wing said. Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration in Kabul to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the banned TTP, that are used for attacks in Pakistan. Officials say those appeals have gone unheeded. According to a UN Security Council-mandated monitoring report — covering the period from Dec 16, 2025 to June 9, 2026 — Afg­han Taliban’s continued support for TTP has contributed to a rise in the frequency and lethality of terrorist attacks in Pakistan, even as Kabul has taken some initial steps to rein in the group.

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