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Pakistan's military said Wednesday it intercepted four drones launched from Afghanistan, while Kabul said its forces carried out aerial operations targeting alleged Daesh camps inside Pakistan amid renewed tensions between the two neighbors.
The incident came after months of conflict and followed a terrorist attack on a security facility in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi and subsequent Pakistani airstrikes targeting alleged terrorist camps inside Afghanistan last week.
Pakistan's military said the Afghan Taliban forces launched four rudimentary drones across the border into the southwestern Balochistan province on Tuesday.
"The hostile aerial platforms were immediately picked up by Pakistan's robust air defense network," the military said.
It stated that the drones were detected and neutralized, accusing Afghan forces of "patronizing and supporting terrorist outfits operating from within their territory."
"If the Afghan Taliban continue to provoke Pakistan, they would receive a befitting response which would cost them heavily," the statement added.
Afghanistan's Defense Ministry said its air force carried out airstrikes in Pakistan's Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, targeting alleged Daesh camps.
Deputy spokesperson Siddiqullah Nusrat said in a statement posted on social media site X that the airstrikes were carried out with "great precision" and caused "heavy casualties and material losses" to the group.
He said the operations resulted in no civilian casualties.
The Afghan Defense Ministry had earlier said it carried out aerial operations in Pakistani border provinces, after the Taliban government vowed a response to the deadly Pakistani airstrikes on eastern Afghanistan.
Pakistan, which denies that Daesh uses its territory, did not report any casualties from the drone incident.
It accused the Afghan government of "misleading" its people and said the drone attacks were "effectively thwarted."
The latest incident is another flare-up between Pakistan and Afghanistan, whose relations have been strained since the Taliban took power in Kabul in 2021.
The recent tensions followed a deadly weekend attack in Karachi and Pakistani airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan.
Islamabad said Monday that it targeted terrorists in the attacks, while the Afghan government reported civilian casualties.
The United Nations confirmed that the strikes killed 28 civilians and wounded dozens more.
Pakistan has not commented on civilian casualties and said 29 terrorists were killed in the strikes and ground operations.
The months of conflict have killed hundreds and centered on Islamabad's accusations that the Taliban government shelters the terrorists behind a surge in attacks, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which has waged a violent campaign against Pakistan for years.
Afghan officials deny the accusations and say Pakistan harbors hostile groups and does not respect Afghanistan's sovereignty.
Relations between the two countries have also been strained by multiple terrorist attacks in Pakistan in recent years, which have led to several border clashes.
The regional Daesh branch has claimed responsibility for attacks in Afghanistan in recent years that have killed civilians.
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