Pakistan’s military said it shot down few rudimentary drones launched by the Afghan Taliban on Friday in an attempt to spread fear among the Pakistani public.

In a statement on Saturday, the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said the drones were intercepted before they could reach their intended targets.

“The drones were intercepted through soft and hard kills and did not reach their intended targets,” the statement said.

However, debris from the destroyed drones reportedly fell in different areas, injuring civilians.

Two children were injured in Quetta, while one civilian each was reported injured in Kohat and Rawalpindi after fragments from the downed drones fell in those locations.

The ISPR stated that the drone attacks were intended to create panic among the public, calling the act a reflection of a “terrorist mindset”.

The statement said the Afghan Taliban portrayed themselves as victims to gain international sympathy while simultaneously targeting civilians through terrorist proxies and drone attacks.

It said the people of Pakistan and the country’s armed forces are absolutely clear about the true nature and intentions of the terrorist militia-for-hire that rules Afghanistan.

The military also reaffirmed that Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq will continue until Pakistan’s fundamental concerns regarding terrorism emanating from Afghan territory are addressed.

Pakistan’s armed forces, the ISPR added, remain determined in their fight against terrorism and drone threats and will continue to defend citizens against militants and their facilitators.

The statement emphasised that Pakistan will not back down in the face of such provocations.