ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces intercepted and brought down two rudimentary drones near Rawalpindi using electronic countermeasures, security sources said Friday.
The drones were detected flying adjacent to the garrison city before being neutralised, according to the sources. No casualties were reported and the situation was brought under control quickly.
“Both drones were intercepted and brought down through electronic measures,” security sources said, adding that the devices were rudimentary in nature.
Authorities briefly closed airspace in the area as a precaution during the interception.
“Airspace was temporarily closed as a safety precaution and has since been reopened,” the sources said.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting later said the drones were linked to terrorists operating with the backing of the Afghan Taliban authorities.
In a statement posted on X, the ministry’s fact-checking wing said: “Two rudimentary drones of terrorist FAK, nurtured by Afghan Taliban regime, were successfully intercepted by the Pakistan security forces using electronic counter measures.”
The statement added that no military installation or critical infrastructure was struck.
“No military or other infrastructure was hit, other than minor damage due to debris of the forced crashing of drones,” the ministry said.
It further criticised claims circulating from Taliban-linked sources, saying such assertions lacked credible evidence.
“The Taliban regime claim includes no verifiable evidence as always,” the ministry said, adding that official Taliban accounts were known to circulate misinformation and propaganda, including earlier claims about Pakistani aircraft being shot down.
The drone interception comes as Pakistan’s retaliatory military campaign, Operation Ghazab lil Haq, enters its third week after launching on Feb. 26 in response to cross-border attacks.
Pakistani officials say the operation is aimed at dismantling terrorist infrastructure operating from Afghan territory, including camps, logistical bases and networks used for attacks inside Pakistan.
Authorities said the security situation around Rawalpindi remained normal following the drone incident and that monitoring of aerial activity continues.
