A Pakistani drone was shot down in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, according to local media reports
Taliban-linked media claimed Thursday that the group’s forces shot down an armed Pakistani drone in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province, days after Pakistan carried out airstrikes in several Afghan provinces amid escalating cross-border tensions.
Hariyat Media, a platform affiliated with Taliban intelligence, reported that the drone was intercepted over the Garmsir district of Helmand while flying near a Taliban border brigade position. The outlet cited local sources as saying the unmanned aircraft was carrying explosives and was destroyed during the operation.
The report said the incident occurred over an area close to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where Taliban border forces have recently increased security deployments following a series of Pakistani military operations.
Neither the Taliban Defense Ministry nor other Taliban officials have independently released evidence confirming the drone’s downing, including photographs or video of the wreckage. Pakistani authorities have not commented on the claim.
The alleged drone interception follows a new round of Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan. Reports indicated that Pakistan recently targeted areas in Khost, Paktia and Kandahar provinces, while additional strikes earlier hit Kunar and Paktika.
The United Nations said at least three people were killed in the latest Pakistani airstrikes, while local residents reported damage to homes and civilian infrastructure. Pakistan has said previous cross-border operations were aimed at militant groups that Islamabad accuses of launching attacks from Afghanistan territory.
Relations between Pakistan and the Taliban administration have deteriorated over the past year as Islamabad has intensified military operations along the border and repeatedly blamed the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for attacks originating from Afghanistan. The Taliban administration has denied allowing Afghanistan territory to be used for attacks against Pakistan.
Pakistan has increasingly relied on airstrikes and drones against what it describes as militant hideouts near the Afghanistan border. Previous operations in Khost, Paktika and Kunar have drawn condemnation from Taliban officials, who accused Pakistan of violating Afghanistan’s sovereignty and killing civilians.
Islamabad maintains that the strikes are part of counterterrorism operations targeting armed groups threatening Pakistan’s security, while the Taliban insist they do not permit foreign militant groups to use Afghanistan territory for attacks.
