Taliban Launches Airstrikes on ISIS Targets Amid Rising Tensions with Pakistan

The Taliban’s Ministry of Defense has officially announced the execution of nighttime airstrikes targeting ISIS positions and destructive centers in the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In contrast, the Pakistani army claimed to have shot down four drones from Kabul.

Airstrikes on ISIS Positions in Pakistan

The Taliban’s Ministry of Defense has released a statement confirming successful airstrikes on military targets in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan. The statement explicitly claims these operations targeted locations associated with the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) and centers coordinating sabotage activities. According to the Ministry of Defense, these strikes were coordinated and executed on Tuesday night against a joint center in the Zaranan area of Pishin District, Balochistan, which Kabul insists was used for organizing terrorist attacks against civilians in Afghanistan.

Continued Tensions Following Civilian Casualties in Eastern Provinces

Although the recent airstrikes by the Pakistani military on the provinces of Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar are not directly mentioned in the Taliban’s statement, these military actions follow deadly bombings by Pakistan that resulted in the deaths of dozens of Afghan civilians. The Taliban government previously reported that 36 individuals had been killed, with 163 others wounded in those attacks; figures that were largely corroborated by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Extension of Airstrikes to Chitral and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

In another part of its report, the Islamic Emirate’s Ministry of Defense stated that the Kabul Air Force conducted precise strikes on another ISIS center in the Qambar Khail area and a joint base in the Warm Chashma area of Shah Salim Valley in Chitral. Kabul military officials emphasize that, based on preliminary intelligence, these operations inflicted substantial human and financial losses on terrorists and their supporters, and due to the high precision of targeting, there were no civilian casualties reported in the area.

Pakistan’s Claim of Shooting Down Four Drones

Meanwhile, Reuters reported, citing security officials in Islamabad, that Pakistan’s defense forces identified and shot down four drones, described as primitive, within the airspace of Balochistan. The Pakistani army announced that these drones were destroyed upon entering its airspace. Local officials in Balochistan confirmed the occurrence of a drone attack, noting that one of the drones crashed near a government school in the Zaranan area, injuring two individuals. These developments come amid assessments from the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, stating that while the Taliban’s air force lacks advanced fighter planes, it does possess several helicopters and a number of offensive drones that are utilized in border confrontations.