Indian Army Shoots Down Pakistan Drone After LoC Breach in Jammu-Kashmir's Poonch

Indian Army troops opened fire to bring down a Pakistani drone after it entered the Indian side from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, reported ANI, citing officials, on Sunday.

The incident has happened for the second time in three days, as the Army troops have earlier also opened fire after picking up drone movement from across the border. In the Pak drone intrusion that occurred on Sunday morning, the drone returned to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) after hovering briefly in the Digwar area, reported the news agency, citing officials. The drone was spotted alongside the Line of Control for several minutes.

Pakistan Carries Out Strikes in Afghanistan

In a separate development, Pakistan carried out strikes against Afghanistan amid heightened tensions between the two nations. Pakistan forces and Afghan Taliban face off has put both the nations on alert. Loud explosions and gunfire were heard across Afghanistan's capital city Kabul on Sunday morning, reported Reuters citing sources.

The violence in Kabul came days after Afghanistan's Taliban admin had made it clear that it remained open to negotiations even as tensions with Pakistan spiralled into what Taliban officials described as "open war".

Pakistan, on Friday, had bombed areas in Afghanistan after the Afghan Taliban earlier had announced a major offensive against Pakistan military posts near the border.

Retaliating to Afghanistan's Taliban administration's offensive attacks on Pakistani military basis, Islamabad bombed targets in Afghan capital, Kabul and the provinces of Kandahar and Paktika located close to its border.

Pakistani Army spokesperson said that it had targeted 22 military site across Afghanistan, including Kabul and Kandahar while taking "great care" to avoid civilian casualties, reported BBC on Friday.

At least 274 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed, with 73 posts inside Afghanistan destroyed and 18 captured. An estimated 115 tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery systems were also destroyed, reported BBC citing the Pak Army official.

Pakistan's retaliatory operation was launched late Thursday night in response to the alleged border attacks by the Afghan Taliban. Islamabad claimed that 133 Taliban fighters were killed in Operation Ghazab lil Haq. The 2,611-km-long border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is known as the Durand Line, which Kabul has not formally recognised.

Tensions between Kabul and Islamabad have escalated, with both sides accusing one another of retaliatory strikes, raising fears of a wider military conflict in the region.

Islamabad declared "open war" on Kabul after carrying out airstrikes in parts of Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia, further intensifying tensions between the two neighbouring countries.