New Delhi: An unidentified Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), likely to be a US-made MQ-9 Reaper, crashed Thursday in the Maidan Wardak province in Afghanistan, according to local media reports.
While no official statement has been made by the Taliban regime, reports indicate that the UAV went down near Maidan Shahr, the provincial capital. The reason for the crash is unclear. Images of the fallen craft have been circulated by pro-Taliban social media accounts, showcasing a wreckage lying near a snow covered hillside.
While the origin of the UAV remains unknown. If it’s a US-made MQ-9, the likely source of the flight could be Pakistan, given the province’s location and proximity to the capital of Kabul. The Taliban regime has maintained that its airspace is not fully under its operational control.
Last year, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Taliban asserted that the US has continued to operate surveillance flights over Afghanistan, with UAVs entering Afghan airspace via neighbouring countries. Pakistan is the closest neighbour, especially to Kabul. The US has air bases in other parts of West Asia, including countries like Qatar, however, the distance is much further.
Days later, the US said that it has no information to offer regarding surveillance flights through Afghan airspace. The Taliban-regime has in the past accused Pakistan of allowing US UAVs access to its airspace to conduct such flights over Afghanistan. The Taliban-regime returned to power in 2021 after a two-decade long war with the US.
Pakistan has denied that its airspace has been used by the US for such flights. For the duration of the US’ war in Afghanistan, Washington and its allies maintained some semblance of control over Afghan airspace.
Ties between the Taliban and Pakistan have remained tense in the last year. Pakistan launched airstrikes against the regime at the end of December 2024. In October 2025, the two sides clashed, leading to the closure of borders.
The Taliban has accused Islamabad of seeking control over the organisation. Islamabad has called on the Taliban to stop its support to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Pakistan has blamed the TTP for the increase in violence in the last year across the country.
Refuting the assertions, the regime blamed Pakistan for its own domestic problems. India and the Taliban have seen their ties improve in the last few months. Taliban’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi travelled to India in October, while the trade and health ministers also visited New Delhi in the months November and December respectively.
(Edited by Vidhi Bhutra)
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