The Taliban’s use of drones has evolved over five years from commercial surveillance aircraft and propaganda tools into a more ambitious program involving armed and apparent one-way attack drones.
From February 27 to March 15, the Taliban claimed responsibility for 15 drone attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and elsewhere in Pakistan, including what it described as a strike on Hamza Camp in Faizabad. In statements, the Taliban’s Ministry of Defense said the attacks targeted Pakistani military sites in Rawalpindi, Faizabad, Abbottabad, Kohat, Nowshera, Swabi, Jamrud, Mohmand district, Miranshah, Spinwam in North Waziristan, and Quetta in Balochistan.
The reported escalation followed remarks by Taliban Defense Minister Mullah Yaqoub on March 8 warning that “if Kabul becomes unsafe, Islamabad will become unsafe, and if Kabul is attacked, Islamabad will be attacked.”
Pakistan acknowledged some UAV incidents and said it had shot down several drones. Pakistani fighter jets then carried out repeated strikes on Taliban military sites in Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia and Khost, according to media reports. It said the deadliest strike hit the Omid rehabilitation center in Kabul.
Are Drones a New Weapon for the Taliban?
Afghanistan International’s reporting indicates the Taliban have used drone aircraft since 2020.
Before then, the Taliban’s Al-Emara Studio mainly used drones to film operations and produce propaganda videos. But after militants in Mosul of Iraq and elsewhere demonstrated how commercial drones could be fitted with explosives, the Taliban began using them in combat, according to the report.
The group initially used commercial drones, including the DJI Matrice 210, in attacks on Afghan security forces in Paktia, Kunduz, Balkh, Faryab, Takhar and Logar provinces, later expanding their use to targeted killings.
On November 7, 2020, a Taliban drone dropped a hand grenade on an Afghan security post in Logar province, wounding two police officer. Another drone attack a week earlier targeted a police post in Charkh district. On November 24, 2020, then-National Directorate of Security chief Zia Saraj told Afghanistan’s parliament that the Taliban were attacking government forces with small drones bought on the open market.
By January 15, 2021, two Taliban drones had attacked the airfield of the Afghan army’s 217th Pamir Corps in Kunduz, damaging a helicopter. The Taliban had earlier targeted the provincial governor, wounding eight bodyguards.
On March 8, 2021, a white commercial drone carrying two mortar rounds fell in Kunduz’s Kot-e-Gard area. In May, the Taliban used a drone to kill Piram Qul, a former lawmaker and local resistance commander, in Takhar. In July, a drone strike targeted the home of former Balkh governor Atta Mohammad Noor, wounding four people.
The early attacks appeared designed not only to inflict casualties but also to intimidate commanders opposing the Taliban, marking an important stage in the group’s adoption of drones as weapons.
How the Taliban Appear to be Using Drones Against Pakistan
The Taliban’s 313th Battalion, associated with the Haqqani network, became known during the insurgency for suicide attacks against Afghan and NATO forces. The group now appears to be shifting toward one-way attack drones, sometimes described as “kamikaze” drones.
After the Taliban takeover in 2021, the group gained access to some US-made ScanEagle drones. The aircraft is about 5.1 feet (1.6 meters) long with a 10.2-foot (3.1-meter) wingspan, depending on variant, and is designed primarily for surveillance.
By July 2025, a Taliban source told Afghanistan International that the group still had several surveillance drones about 1 meter long with a single rotor on the tail. It was not clear whether those aircraft were used only for reconnaissance or could also carry explosives.
Former Afghan General Sami Sadat said some Taliban drones are of Chinese origin and were originally supplied to Afghanistan’s former security forces before being modified to carry explosives.
With limited access to missiles and fixed-wing aircraft, and an air arm still centered largely on helicopters, the Taliban have invested heavily in drone technology. Most drones used against Pakistani urban targets appear to be one-way attack UAVs with wingspans of about 2 meters, differing from more conventional military drone designs. The report said there is no indication ScanEagle drones were used for bomb delivery in these attacks.
Operations and Technical Characteristics
According to sources, Taliban drones are launched near the Durand Line from Kandahar, Nangarhar, Paktia and Paktika, reducing the distance to targets in Quetta, Peshawar, Islamabad and Waziristan.
David Hambling, a London-based drone analyst and author of Swarm Troopers: How Small Drones Will Rule the World, told Afghanistan International that the Taliban’s drones appear to be locally assembled, likely using Chinese-made or other imported parts. He said they resemble Iran’s Shahed-101, though on a smaller scale.
The Shahed-101 has been reported to have a much longer range and greater destructive power than the Taliban’s current drones. Hambling said the Taliban’s aircraft use composite wings, likely carbon fiber, and piston engines typical of small UAVs. Those materials help keep the aircraft light while maintaining structural strength and flight stability.
It is estimated that the drones’ payload are roughly 5 kilograms (11 pounds), with warheads capable of affecting an area of about 40 meters and damaging vehicles or buildings. It is said that the aircraft weigh about 10 to 15 kilograms (22 to 33 pounds), with wingspans of about 2.5 to 3 meters and lengths of 1.5 to 2 meters, giving them a potential range of 300 kilometers (186 miles) or more, depending on design, fuel, weather and payload.
Production capacity
Afghanistan International sources said a 13-member Taliban team, including engineering students from Kabul Polytechnic University and Kabul University, has been modifying drone designs since 2021. Former Afghan security personnel are also believed to be helping assemble the aircraft.
The drones are said to rely mainly on commercially available parts, including flight-control boards, gyroscopes, accelerometers, GPS modules and related electronics.
Sadat said that although the Taliban had sent delegations to China and sought drones from Russia, the program remained in an early stage, relying on imported parts and local technical knowledge. Analysts believe that Afghan engineers most likely handle assembly and basic design work.
Hambling said the Taliban could eventually develop longer-range drones with heavier payloads, following a trajectory similar to the Houthi movement’s drone program.
TTP Drone Ambitions
By July 2025, sources told Afghanistan International that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, and the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group were seeking commercial drones that could be modified to drop explosives and potentially hit targets up to 10 kilometers away.
The report said TTP drones currently lack advanced systems and are limited largely to daytime use, but militants are exploring thermal cameras and engine modifications to improve night surveillance and attack capability.
Pakistan’s effort to counter the drone threat has increased pressure on the Taliban, contributing to airstrikes and attempts to identify drone manufacturing site. Strikes on larger facilities could slow production, but small workshops and garages would make complete disruption difficult.
