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France 24
France 24
World
Ershad ALIJANI

Cheap weapons, growing fears: Inside the Taliban’s drone campaign against Pakistan

Images of several drones that Pakistani forces said had been launched from Afghanistan and shot down in different parts of Pakistan, including the suburbs of the capital, Islamabad, on February 27
Images of several drones that Pakistani forces said had been launched from Afghanistan and shot down in different parts of Pakistan, including the suburbs of the capital, Islamabad, on February 27, 2026. © Observers

Pakistan says it intercepted 23 suicide drones launched from Afghanistan into Pakistani airspace in September alone. Since the conflict began in February 2026, the Taliban have increasingly used drones to attack Pakistan, raising concerns in Islamabad.

The Pakistani army on September 23 said it had shot down at least eight fixed-wing drones in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, less than 1,000 metres from the Afghan border. It was the latest reported attempt by the Taliban to target Pakistani forces using this type of drone.

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