Drones and Aircraft Continue to Fly Over Kabul Hours After Overnight Airstrikes

Kokcha News Agency reports that residents and local sources in Kabul confirmed that drones and aircraft continued to fly over the capital on Friday, hours after a series of overnight airstrikes rocked parts of the city. The airstrikes, which occurred on Thursday night, reportedly targeted a compound where Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, the leader of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), was believed to be staying.

Several residents told Amu that the sound of aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles could be heard intermittently through the morning, fueling anxiety among civilians who remain uncertain about the nature of the attacks. Mehsud, one of Pakistan’s most wanted militants, was reportedly killed in the airstrike, though neither the Taliban nor any foreign government has yet claimed responsibility.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Defense has not commented on the incident or on the reports of continued drone activity over the capital. If confirmed, the strike would mark one of the most significant cross-border counterterrorism operations since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. It follows growing regional concern over the presence of foreign militant groups, particularly the TTP, inside Afghanistan.

Earlier this week, Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi traveled to India for talks with senior Indian officials on regional security and bilateral cooperation. Pakistan has often accused the Taliban of sheltering TTP fighters who, it claims, use Afghan territory to launch cross-border attacks — a claim the Taliban deny. The reported airstrike in Kabul, and the continuing presence of drones overhead, have further deepened those tensions.