UAVs sighted between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, shot down; Pak denies airspace closure reports

Reports citing senior Pakistani officials said that two UAVs (drones) were spotted loitering near Faizabad Interchange, the junction between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, on Friday and were shot down by air defence systems, following which authorities temporarily closed the airspace above Islamabad as a precautionary measure.

Sources said that the drones were intercepted, and one of them fell near Faizabad and the other in Islamabad’s I-9 sector. They added that the drones were explosive-laden.

The drones had possibly been launched from Afghanistan, they added.

Also Read: ‘India, US close to critical minerals deal, announcement likely soon:’ Ambassador Sergio Gor

Some social media users also shared videos and photos of the incident and drone remnants, though their veracity could not be confirmed.

Earlier, the Pakistan Airports Authority said in a post on X, which was later deleted, that flight operations at the Islamabad International Airport experienced a “brief operational adjustment”.

The statement had come after several media outlets reported that Islamabad International Airport had been closed for flights.

In a later statement, the authority said that reports circulating about the closure of Islamabad’s airspace were “baseless”.

Also Read: ‘Nobody will hire them’: SC turns down plea on menstrual leaves, says move will hamper career of women

“Flight operations at Islamabad International Airport are continuing without interruption and all flights are operating according to schedule,” it said.

“The public is advised not to pay attention to unverified or misleading reports and to rely on official sources of PAA for authentic information,” it said.

Also Read: ‘Iran not laying mines, allowed ships from some countries to cross Strait of Hormuz’: Deputy FM

Afghanistan conducts retaliatory drone strikes on strategic military centres

Earlier, Afghanistan conducted retaliatory drone strikes on strategic military centres and installations of the Pakistan army in the Kohath area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence on Friday.

Pakistan’s Kohat Military Fort, a war command centre along the Durand Line, and the office of the fort’s commander sustained significant damage during the retaliatory strikes, it claimed.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence said in a post on X, “The fort’s military installations, the command centre, depots, and soldiers’ residential quarters were destroyed, resulting in significant human and material losses.”

The Pakistan Air Force had struck fuel depots belonging to the private airline Kam Air near Kandahar Airport in Afghanistan.

Also Read: Oil tanker, with Indian captain, went ‘dark’ to cross high-risk Strait of Hormuz, reach Mumbai

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said this company provides fuel for domestic airlines and United Nations aircraft. Mujahid also accused Pakistan of previously attacking the fuel storage of a national trader named Haji Khan Zadah.

Pakistani strikes that hit Afghanistan’s two largest cities, the capital Kabul and Kandahar, killing six people, claimed Taliban officials.

A handle on X identified as Afghanistan’s ministry of national defence claimed that Pakistan’s “night-time” violations were met with a befitting response by Afghan forces.

It wrote, “In response to the Pakistani military regime’s night-time violations of the Durand Line, Afghan air forces targeted strategic military centres and installations of Pakistani troops in the Kohat area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this morning.”

“In the attacks, the Kohat military fortress was destroyed and nearby that same fort, within two kilometres, the command centre for the Durand Line conflict and the commander's office of the military fort were also precisely targeted,” it added.

The Pakistani strikes hit homes in the Afghan capital and destroyed a fuel depot at Kandahar airport.