Pakistan says it shot down eight Afghan Taliban drones near Torkham and Kohat — Dawn

Pakistan’s armed forces said they shot down eight drones on the morning of September 23, which, according to Pakistani security sources, were launched by the Afghan Taliban movement. They said the drones entered Pakistan’s airspace near the Torkham border crossing and the city of Kohat, Dawn reports.

Drones shot down by air defense systems

According to the outlet’s security sources, all eight drones were shot down by air defense systems of Pakistan’s armed forces. Four were downed in areas adjacent to the border near Torkham, and another four near Kohat.

Pakistani security sources said the drones were being directed toward public areas. They also called the incident evidence of support for terrorists by the Taliban administration in Afghanistan. The report provides no independent confirmation of these claims.

Tensions at the border

The incident occurred two days after Pakistan reported airstrikes on shelters and bases of groups in the border area with Afghanistan. Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said that more than 28 people, whom authorities described as terrorists, were killed as a result of these strikes.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

The airstrikes took place after an attack on the old Police Lines building in Kohat, which killed 23 people and injured about 100, according to Dawn. During an overnight clearance operation, eight attackers were killed, according to the Pakistani side.

In July, Pakistani security forces also said they had shot down four primitive drones that crossed the border in Balochistan. In June, according to their data, another two drones were downed in the districts of Killa Abdullah and Chagai.

Islamabad’s statements on TTP

Islamabad has repeatedly called on the Taliban administration to eliminate bases of groups on Afghan territory, including the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is banned in Pakistan and which Pakistani authorities say is used for attacks in the country. A monitoring report prepared under the mandate of the UN Security Council and covering the period from December 16, 2025, to June 9, 2026, states that support for the TTP by the Afghan Taliban contributed to an increase in the frequency and lethality of attacks in Pakistan.