KABUL/QUETTA, Pakistan — Afghanistan’s Taliban government announced Tuesday that it carried out airstrikes against targets inside Pakistan, while Pakistani officials reported that their forces intercepted and destroyed four primitive drones over the southern province of Balochistan, a region rich in natural resources.
Tuesday’s confrontation marks the most recent episode in a string of armed clashes between the two neighboring South Asian countries.
Afghanistan’s defense ministry stated that its forces struck what it identified as an ISIS facility in the town of Saranan, located in Pakistan’s border province of Balochistan, along with additional targets in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Pakistan’s military released a statement saying the drones were detected immediately and taken down. Local provincial authorities confirmed the drone incident, noting that one of the drones was spotted near a government school in Saranan. Officials reported that two people suffered injuries in the attack.
Afghanistan does not operate fighter jets, but is believed to have at least six aircraft and 23 helicopters, according to data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which is based in London. Taliban forces are also known to operate drones, which have previously been used in confrontations with Pakistan.
Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan of sheltering militant groups it holds responsible for planning attacks on Pakistani soil. The Afghan Taliban rejects those accusations, arguing that militancy within Pakistan is that country’s own internal issue.
The latest exchange follows deadly Pakistani airstrikes conducted Monday along the Afghan border, which killed at least 28 civilians and left 49 others injured. Pakistan described those strikes as retaliation for what it called “terrorist attacks” carried out on its territory.
The deteriorating relationship between the two countries — once considered allies — has resulted in hundreds of deaths so far this year. Diplomatic efforts led by China to reduce tensions have not yet produced any breakthroughs.
