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Pakistan says anti-drone systems foil TTP attacks in northwest; Kabul claim raises questions

By Zahid Shah

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that security forces intercepted and shot down multiple small drones allegedly launched by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists in Abbottabad, Swabi and Nowshera, in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

In a statement posted on X, Tarar said “Fitna al Khawarij terrorists” attempted to carry out drone attacks, but Pakistan’s anti-drone systems neutralized all incoming devices. He added that there were no casualties or damage to property.

Tarar said the incidents “again exposed direct linkages between the Afghan Taliban regime and terrorism in Pakistan,” reiterating Islamabad’s longstanding position that militant groups operating from Afghan territory are behind cross-border attacks.

The developments took a controversial turn when Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities claimed responsibility for conducting “airstrikes” in Abbottabad, Nowshera, Faizabad and Jamrud. The statement, attributed to the Afghan defense ministry, asserted that its forces had carried out operations inside Pakistani territory.

However, security analysts note that the current Afghan Taliban administration does not possess a functioning air force or operational fighter jets, raising questions about how such airstrikes could have been executed. Pakistani officials maintain that the incidents involved locally launched small drones rather than conventional aircraft.

Police and intelligence agencies in Pakistan are reportedly searching for those responsible, with preliminary assessments suggesting the drones may have been launched from within Pakistani territory.

The TTP, which Islamabad says operates from sanctuaries in Afghanistan, has previously used small drones in attacks in tribal districts, some of which have caused civilian casualties in recent months.

There has been no independent verification of the competing claims, and Kabul has not provided operational details to substantiate its assertion of cross-border air operations.