Info ministry rejects Afghan Taliban-linked claims of cross-border drone strikes

Statement calls out Taliban for attempting to divert attention from militant activity originating from Afghanistan

The information ministry on Friday strongly rejected claims circulating from Afghan Taliban-linked propaganda channels alleging cross-border drone strikes on alleged Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP) camps inside Pakistan, calling the reports “false as usual”.

In a fact-check statement posted on X, the ministry said the allegations that Afghan Taliban forces had targeted supposed ISKP camps in the border areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were “false” and part of a recurring pattern of propaganda.

*𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 | 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠*
◼️The Afghan Taliban regime through their various propaganda mouthpieces and official statements are claiming to have targeted some alleged ISKP camps in border areas of Khyber… pic.twitter.com/xyzutM6O3A

— Fact Checker MoIB (@FactCheckerMoIB) June 19, 2026

It further stated, “Terrorist camps, including that of Daesh and more than two dozen other terrorist organisations, are factually located, run and patronised from inside the territories under control of the Afghan Taliban regime.”

The post has an image attached of a screenshot of an X post from the Afghan Defence Ministry account claiming that Afghan forces conducted airstrikes targeting alleged Daesh-linked sites in K-P and Balochistan.

Also Read: Pakistan's terrorism landscape: challenges and remedies

Rejecting the narrative, the statement called out the Afghan Taliban for attempting to divert attention from militant activity originating from within Afghanistan, adding that such claims are routinely used “to cover their patronisation of terror waged in neighbouring countries and region.”

The ministry also presented what it called the factual account of the incident, stating: “One rudimentary drone of the Taliban regime intruded inside Pakistan airspace near Shinko, Khyber. It was immediately identified and neutralised by the alert Air Defence system of the Pakistan Air Force.”

Concluding the post, the ministry said, “Truth prevails over falsehood.”

Pak-Afghan tensions

K-P had witnessed a significant rise in militant violence last year, with more than 500 attacks reported, marking a 50% increase compared to the previous year.

The fighting ​between Pakistan and Afghanistan that started in October ​has ⁠killed scores of people on both sides, with Afghans taking the brunt. Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of harbouring ⁠militants ​who launch attacks in Pakistan, ​although Kabul denies this, calling the militancy its neighbour's domestic problem.

Operation Ghazab Lil Haq was launched around the end of February following renewed clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, after Afghan Taliban forces fired on multiple locations, prompting swift military retaliation by Pakistan.

The clashes intensified after Afghanistan launched a border offensive in response to Pakistani air strikes targeting terrorist positions. The two sides had agreed to a week-long ceasefire on the eve of Eidul Fitr on March 18, following requests from Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Pakistan in April put forth three core demands to the Afghan Taliban during peace talks in Urumqi, China, including Kabul formally declaring the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan a terrorist organisation, dismantling its infrastructure, and providing verifiable proof of the action. These demands form the basis of Pakistan's negotiating position, which sources say has hardened amid persistent security concerns.

In the most recent development, Pakistan carried out “precision strikes” along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border targeting terrorist hideouts, killing 26 Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists in response to recent terrorist attacks in the country.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the operations were conducted in the aftermath of recent attacks, including the assault on a Federal Constabulary post in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on June 9, a vehicle-borne suicide attack on a military post in North Waziristan on June 2, and an attack on a police station in Bannu on May 9.