Pakistan strikes Afghan sites over cross-border drone attacks

Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced Thursday that the military had conducted airstrikes against ten sites across Afghanistan, alleging they served as launch and storage facilities for unmanned aerial vehicles used in attacks on Pakistani soil. The strikes came in response to drone attacks carried out a day earlier, officials said. The Pakistani government did not immediately provide details on casualties or damage from the operation, nor did it identify which groups were operating the drone facilities. Afghanistan's Taliban-led government has faced ongoing challenges controlling militant groups operating within its borders, including those with ties to Pakistan. The airstrikes represent a significant escalation in a long-standing conflict between Pakistan and armed groups based in Afghanistan, particularly the Pakistani Taliban, who have been blamed for numerous attacks inside Pakistan in recent years. Cross-border military operations by Pakistan have occurred periodically, though such actions typically generate diplomatic tensions between Islamabad and Kabul. The incident underscores the fragile security situation in the region and the persistent threat posed by armed groups operating across the porous Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier.