Islamabad: At least four people, including two children, were injured after debris from drones allegedly launched by the Afghan Taliban fell in several Pakistani cities, the country’s military said on Saturday.

According to Pakistan’s military media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the drones were intercepted and destroyed before reaching their intended targets on Friday. However, fragments from the destroyed devices fell in populated areas, causing injuries in multiple locations.

The drones were brought down in Quetta, Kohat and Rawalpindi, a city located near the capital Islamabad. The military said the devices were neutralised using a combination of “soft and hard kills”, referring to electronic countermeasures as well as physical interception.

While the drones did not reach their targets, debris from the intercepted devices injured two children in Quetta. One civilian each was also injured in Kohat and Rawalpindi, authorities said.

Pakistan’s military said the attacks appeared to be intended to create panic among the public.

“These attacks were aimed at inducing fear in the public and remind us of the terrorist mindset which drives the Afghan Taliban,” the ISPR said in a statement.

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The military also accused the Taliban leadership in Kabul of presenting itself internationally as a victim while allegedly supporting attacks targeting civilians.

“On one hand, the Afghan Taliban project victimhood to garner global sympathy, while on the other hand, they actively target civilians through their terrorist proxies and their drones,” the statement said.

Pakistan’s armed forces warned that the country remained fully aware of what it described as the “true nature and intentions” of the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan. It added that operations against militant threats originating from Afghan territory would continue.

The statement said Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, launched on 26 February, would continue until Islamabad’s concerns about terrorism emanating from Afghan soil were addressed. The military said it would keep defending Pakistan’s population against “terrorists and their facilitators”.

The drone interceptions also briefly raised concerns around Islamabad. The Pakistan Airports Authority initially said flight operations at Islamabad International Airport had undergone a “brief operational adjustment”.

However, the statement was later withdrawn and replaced with another clarification stating that the airport had not been shut.

“Flight operations at Islamabad International Airport are continuing without interruption, and all flights are operating according to schedule,” the authority said, urging the public to rely only on official information.

The incident comes amid rapidly worsening relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban government. Tensions have escalated in recent weeks following cross-border attacks and retaliatory strikes, further straining ties that have deteriorated sharply since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.