Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has announced that the country’s air defense system identified and shot down a rudimentary drone allegedly belonging to the Taliban government near the Shinako area in Khyber district. According to the ministry, the incident was swiftly contained and resulted in no financial damage or loss of life.
This comes after the Taliban Ministry of Defense stated on Saturday morning that its forces carried out airstrikes overnight targeting Islamic State-linked facilities in the Pakistani provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In response, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting rejected the claim, describing it as false and emphasizing that no such attacks occurred on its territory.
The ministry’s fact-checking wing also stated in a separate statement that Islamic State camps, along with other terrorist organizations that have existed for over two decades, are operating in areas under Taliban control in Afghanistan, from where they are allegedly managed and supported.
The ministry further released images of the downed drone, alleging that the Taliban government resorts to such statements in order to conceal its support for armed groups operating in neighboring and regional countries, including ISIS, the Baloch Liberation Army, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, and others.
Meanwhile, local residents in a remote area of Khyber district near the Afghanistan–Pakistan border reported discovering debris from several drones that were allegedly shot down overnight.
According to reports, the wreckage was found far from populated areas, and no reports of damage or casualties resulting from the incident have been received so far.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
