Pakistan strikes Afghan base after its president warns ‘red line’ crossed

Islamabad hits Kandahar facility after Taliban drones strike civilian areas and military sites as conflict intensifies.Published On 14 Mar 2026Pakistan has carried out strikes on an Afghan military facility in Kandahar after Taliban drones targeted civilian areas and military installations across the country.The strikes on Saturday came after Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the overnight drone attacks, warning Kabul it had “crossed a red line by attempting to target our civilians”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Iran’s president sets terms to end the war: Is an off-ramp in sight?list 2 of 3Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of air attacks on homes in Kabul, Kandaharlist 3 of 3India releases Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk after six months in jailend of listPakistan’s military said the drones, described as locally produced and rudimentary, were intercepted before reaching their targets, though falling debris wounded two children in Quetta and civilians in Kohat and Rawalpindi.A security source told the AFP news agency that airspace around the capital, Islamabad, had been temporarily closed when the drones were detected.Islamabad said the Kandahar facility had been used both to launch the drone attacks and as a base for cross-border rebel activity.The exchange marks the sharpest single escalation yet in a conflict that has been building since late February, when Pakistan launched military operations against what it said were Pakistan-Taliban" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="1623" data-entity-type="organization">Pakistan Taliban fighters sheltering on Afghan soil.Islamabad also accuses Kabul of harbouring fighters from the ISIL (ISIS) group’s Khorasan province affiliate.The Taliban government has denied both charges.The drone attacks followed Pakistani strikes on Kabul and eastern border provinces in Afghanistan overnight on Thursday into Friday. The Pakistani attacks killed four people in the capital, women and children among them, and two more in the east.