According to Pakistani security sources, four of the unmanned aircraft were downed near the Torkham border crossing and another four were neutralised in the mountainous area around Kohat in Khyber‑Pakhtunkhwa province, with the latter intercepted using a "soft‑kill" method.
The drones were described as rudimentary models, and Pakistani officials alleged they were intended to strike public areas, framing the incident as further proof of the Afghan Taliban’s support for militants operating against Pakistan.
The shoot‑down came amid heightened border tension after Pakistani authorities said they had foiled an infiltration attempt by militants launching from Afghan border posts in the Paktia and Nangarhar provinces.
Pakistani officials claim that, in response, Afghan Taliban forces fired mortars and other heavy weapons at Pakistani border posts, prompting Islamabad’s troops to retaliate with artillery targeting Taliban mortar sites and defensive positions.
The Taliban‑run government in Kabul rejected the accusation, denying any attack on Pakistani positions and dismissing the claim as unfounded.
The drone incident follows Pakistani airstrikes carried out two days earlier in Afghanistan that targeted camps of the banned Tehreek‑e‑Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Pakistan said the strikes killed 28 militants, including several suicide bombers, while Afghan authorities reported civilian casualties – three dead and four wounded – a claim confirmed by the United Nations mission in Afghanistan.
The escalation adds pressure to diplomatic efforts by China, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are seeking to mediate the long‑standing border dispute. At the United Nations General Assembly, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar warned of more than two dozen anti‑Pakistani militant groups operating from Afghan territory.
Independent verification of the drone shoot‑down and the alleged mortar exchange has not been possible, and the claims remain contested by the Afghan side.