Pakistan confirmed the use of drones by the Afghan Taliban, with its Information Minister Attaullah Tarar saying that militants tried to use drones against targets in the country, but they were shot down by anti-drone systems.
Footage released by Pakistani security forces showing overnight strikes in Kabul
As fighting escalated sharply between Pakistan and Afghanistan on Thursday, the latter said on Friday that it had successfully used drones to carry out air strikes on military targets in Pakistan.
The Afghan Taliban defence ministry as well as a government spokesperson were reported as saying in a Reuters report that they “successfully conducted” air strikes on military targets in Pakistan using drones.
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The Ministry of National Defense, meanwhile, posted on X that it had targeted Pakistani military installations in Islamabad as well as in other parts of the country.
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“Today at approximately 11:00 AM, the Air Force of the Ministry of National Defense conducted coordinated airstrikes targeting a military camp near Faizabad in Islamabad, a military base in Nowshera, military positions in Jamrud, and additional locations in Abbottabad. The aerial operation was successfully executed, targeting key Pakistani military bases, command centers, and strategic facilities. The strikes were carried out in response to the aerial incursions conducted last night by Pakistani forces in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia,” the statement read.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم
وَإِنَّ جُندَنَا لَهُمُ الْغَالِبُونَ.
Today at approximately 11:00 AM, the Air Force of the Ministry of National Defense conducted coordinated airstrikes targeting a military camp near Faizabad in Islamabad, a military base in Nowshera,… pic.twitter.com/8iM49sRJtA
— د ملي دفاع وزارت – وزارت دفاع ملی (@MoDAfghanistan2) February 27, 2026
Pakistan confirmed the use of drones by the Afghan Taliban, with its Information Minister Attaullah Tarar saying that militants tried to use drones against targets in the country, but they were shot down by anti-drone systems.
There was “no damage to life”, the Pakistani minister stated.
Pakistan says patience over, declares ‘open war’ on Afghanistan
The development came after Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif declared that the country considers itself in an “open war” with Afghanistan.
The remark came following Afghanistan’s cross-border attack overnight on Pakistan, which responded with air strikes on Kabul.
Khawaja said the Pakistan government had believed that there would be peace in Afghanistan post the withdrawal of NATO forces in 2021 and the Taliban would work for the welfare of the country’s people as well as stability in the region.
Video footage published earlier by Pakistan’s Defense Ministry, which shows several of tonight’s strikes by the Pakistani Air Force against Taliban command-and-control centers and other military infrastructure in the Afghan capital of Kabul and other provinces of Eastern… pic.twitter.com/8tlpZSHFSH
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) February 26, 2026
However, the minister alleged, the Taliban had transformed Afghanistan “into a colony of India”.
“Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us,” he said.
Khawaja said Afghanistan was exporting terrorism to Pakistan, accusing Kabul of supporting the Pakistan Taliban (TTP) and outlawed Balochistan separatist groups.
According to Pakistan, it carried out air strikes in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, as well as in Kandahar in the south and Paktia province in the southeast, in retaliation for the Afghan cross-border attacks.
“In response to the repeated rebellions and insurrections of the Pakistani military, large-scale offensive operations were launched against Pakistani military bases and military installations along the Durand Line,” Afghanistan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on X earlier on Thursday night.
While Afghanistan claimed that 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed in its action, Islamabad said at least 133 Afghan fighters died in its attack.
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