Taliban says it bombed ISIS hideouts in Pakistan; Islamabad downs 4 drones

Afghanistan's TOLO News reported that the country's Ministry of Defence said the targeted sites were being used to plan sabotage operations and attacks against civilians inside Afghanistan.

The ministry claimed the strikes were conducted with precision, inflicting heavy casualties and significant material losses on ISIS while causing no civilian casualties.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's military said it had shot down four drones allegedly launched from Afghanistan into Balochistan.

"Demonstrating a high level of operational readiness, the security forces successfully neutralised all four incoming drones using sophisticated countermeasures. As a result of the swift and effective response, the hostile attempts were successfully foiled," Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement, as quoted by Dawn.

The developments come days after Pakistani security forces launched an intelligence-based ground operation near the Afghanistan border, followed by what officials described as calibrated strikes on terrorist hideouts and safe havens, killing 29 militants, according to media reports.

Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the targeted hideouts belonged to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

According to Dawn, Tarar said the operation was launched in response to "recent multiple terrorist incidents inside Pakistan against the innocent people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) Camp, Karachi."

The operation followed a suspected suicide attack on Saturday that targeted the Sindh Rangers headquarters in Karachi, killing at least four people, including three Sindh Rangers personnel, and injuring three others.