Cheap weapons, growing fears: Taliban drones target Pakistan
Since February, the Afghan Taliban have used FPV and fixed-wing suicide drones against Pakistan amid an open conflict. Pakistan said on September 23 it shot down at least eight drones near the Afghan border.
Pakistan's army said on September 23 that it had shot down at least eight fixed-wing drones in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, less than 1,000 metres from the Afghan border. It is the latest reported attempt by the Taliban, who govern Afghanistan, to strike Pakistani forces with such aircraft. The conflict between the two sides began in February this year, and the cheap drones let the Taliban threaten their adversary even though their military effectiveness is limited.
Types of drones used
Since February the Taliban have deployed armed FPV drones, small quadcopters carrying munitions such as mortar shells, against Pakistani positions near the border. They have also used larger fixed-wing suicide drones with more powerful engines, potentially able to fly hundreds of kilometres.
On September 28, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said it had delivered a diplomatic protest note over what it called "provocative incursions", citing 23 drones launched from Afghanistan into Pakistani airspace since the start of the month. Pakistan also claims it shot down two Taliban drones near Islamabad on March 13.
Expert assessment
UAV expert Mark Grozel says the drones measure roughly two metres and can carry between half a kilogram and one kilogram of explosives. They fly slowly and at low altitude, so they are hard to detect but easy to shoot down once spotted. In his view, their main power is psychological: they let an attacker signal that infrastructure can be threatened at any time. FRANCE 24 identified what appear to be DLE55 engines on the drones, which are sold on the Chinese platform Alibaba.
Roots of the conflict
Pakistan and the Taliban were once close allies. About eight months ago, Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said relations had deteriorated into an "open war". Tension escalated after Pakistan began striking positions of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Pakistani Taliban, inside Afghanistan. Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of sheltering and supporting the TTP; the Taliban deny responsibility. Border clashes reportedly killed about 4,000 people in 2025, and on September 18 a TTP suicide car bomb attack on a mosque in Kohat killed 21 people.
