Pakistan military says it intercepted 4 drones from Afghanistan

Pakistan's military said on July 1 it had intercepted four drones sent from Afghanistan the previous day, the latest incident in months of conflict between the two neighbours.



The Taliban government had vowed a response to deadly Pakistani air strikes on eastern Afghanistan in late June and the Afghan defence ministry said in a statement overnight it had carried out aerial operations targeting militants in Pakistani border provinces.



Pakistan's military said Afghan Taliban forces on June 30 had "launched four rudimentary drones across the border in Balochistan... the hostile aerial platforms were immediately picked up by Pakistan's robust air defence network".



"If the Afghan Taliban continue to provoke Pakistan, they would receive a befitting response which would cost them heavily," it added.



The Afghan defence ministry posted on social media platform X that it had carried out "air strikes" in Balochistan and north-west Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that it said caused casualties among Islamic State (IS) group members.



The Taliban military forces lack a fully functional air force but have used small drones, targeting areas primarily in the border regions of Pakistan, experts say.