Afghanistan warns 'irresponsible' Pakistan of 'consequences' as drone strike derails fragile thaw

Afghan men stand near a damaged house after overnight aerial strikes in Khost on August 28, 2025 (AFP)

The fragile ties between Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and Pakistan appeared to be on the mend in recent weeks, aided by a trilateral dialogue that included China. But a recent drone strike has undone weeks of efforts, with Kabul lashing out at Islamabad for targeting homes in the Nangarhar and Khost provinces.

Afghan officials said that Pakistani drones killed three people and wounded seven late Wednesday, prompting the Taliban government to summon Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul on Thursday in protest.

The Taliban foreign ministry strongly condemned "the violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and the bombing of civilians" by Pakistan, adding that such "irresponsible actions will inevitably have consequences”.

It said Pakistan’s ambassador, Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani, was handed a protest note during the meeting in Kabul.

According to a report in Reuters, three children were killed and several others injured when drones hit a house in Khost’s Spera district, a southeastern border region adjacent to Pakistan’s North Waziristan. In Nangarhar’s Shinwar district, four children and two women suffered injured in another drone strike from across the border.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry and Pakistan’s military media wing has not reacted to Afghanistan's claims.

Incidently, the drones strikes took place barely a week after Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar joined his Chinese and Afghan counterparts in Kabul for a trilateral dialogue. During the talks, the three countries pledged to step up counter-terrorism cooperation, expand trade and extend the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan.

The talks signalled a thaw in ties between the two neighbouring countries following years of tensions since Taliban returned to power in Kabul.

Islamabad has long accused Kabul of giving safe haven to terrorists on its soil, who stage attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban government has strongly denied these charges. Despite the mistrust, ties between the two neighbours had recently shown signs of improvement.

In May 2025, Pakistan announced it would appoint an ambassador to Afghanistan, its first since the Taliban seized power in 2021. The same month, the trilateral dialogue involving China was seen as a breakthrough, with Kabul appearing more open to engagement. However, the latest drone strikes have threatened to derail this fragile progress, once again straining the already fraught relationship.