Five drones targeting Balochistan check post destroyed: sources

Security forces have foiled an attempt to target a check post in Balochistan’s Kharan district with five drones, state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Friday.

According to security sources, members of Indian proxy Fitna al-Hindustan attempted to strike the check post in the Albat area using low-grade drones. Security forces destroyed all five before they reached their targets, the sources said.

There was no loss of life or property in the incident, according to the security sources. They said security forces remained committed to eliminating terrorism from Balochistan.

Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions

The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan over Islamabad’s allegations that militant groups use Afghan territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan. Afghan authorities have denied allowing their soil to be used for attacks against Pakistan.

Pakistan has repeatedly urged Kabul to prevent its territory from being used by militant organisations. Islamabad has said it is willing to engage in dialogue, provided Afghanistan agrees to a verifiable mechanism to prevent cross-border terrorism.

Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said last week that Pakistan was not opposed to negotiations and had been in talks with Kabul since 2021. He said any engagement must produce concrete results, particularly on cross-border terrorism.

Recent border incidents

The latest incident follows a series of reported drone and infiltration attempts in recent weeks.

On October 11, security forces foiled an infiltration attempt near the border in Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing 12 militants, according to the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). ISPR said Afghan Taliban posts had opened fire to support the attempted infiltration. A Pakistan Army naib subedar, Hidayat Aman, was martyred in the exchange of fire.

On September 25, Pakistani security sources said an infiltration attempt by Afghan Taliban forces had been thwarted in the Chaman sector. They said Pakistani forces responded to firing by targeting Taliban positions with quadcopters and mortar fire. Reuters reported that Afghan Taliban authorities had not immediately commented on the allegations.

On September 23, security sources said eight drones had entered Pakistani airspace from Afghanistan and were intercepted by Pakistan’s air defence. Four were reportedly brought down near the Torkham border and four in mountainous areas near Kohat.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said a day later that Pakistan had carried out precision strikes on 10 locations in Afghanistan allegedly used to launch and store drones. He described the drone incursion as a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and said the strikes were limited to military objectives linked to the attempted attacks.

Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in February 2026, months after the two countries agreed to a ceasefire in October 2025 following clashes along several border points. Despite rounds of talks, Islamabad and Kabul have yet to resolve their differences over militant groups operating from Afghan territory. Kabul has condemned Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan as violations of its sovereignty.