ISLAMABAD (MNN); Pakistan has launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in response to what officials described as unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban from across the border.
According to the Ministry of Information, Afghan Taliban fighters opened fire on multiple locations along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on Thursday evening in the Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram and Bajaur sectors of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Two Pakistani security personnel were killed in the ongoing clashes, while officials claimed that 72 Afghan Taliban operatives have been killed during counter-operations.
State media reported that the Pakistan Air Force destroyed a large ammunition depot in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. In addition, a battalion headquarters and a sector headquarters of the Afghan Taliban were also targeted and destroyed.
Prime Minister’s spokesperson on foreign media, Mosharraf Zaidi, said Pakistani counter-strikes had been authorised in response to Afghan attacks and several phases of operations had already been carried out.
He stated that 72 Afghan Taliban combatants were killed and more than 120 injured. Sixteen Taliban posts were destroyed and seven were captured by Pakistani forces. He added that over 36 tanks, artillery guns and armoured personnel carriers were destroyed during the operation.
Meanwhile, state broadcaster PTV reported that an attempt by militants to infiltrate the Pak-Afghan border in Bajaur was foiled. Security forces captured a suspected Fitna al-Khawarij militant alive while he was attempting to cross the border.
There were also reports that Afghan families scheduled for repatriation were sent back to a holding centre in Landi Kotal from the Torkham border amid the heightened tensions.
Officials said further counter-attacks would be carried out in line with Pakistan’s resolve to respond immediately and effectively to any aggression. (UPDATED)
ISLAMABAD (MNN); At least 44 personnel of the Afghan Taliban regime were killed in retaliatory action by Pakistani security forces along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, security sources said on Friday, following what they described as unprovoked cross-border attacks on Pakistani positions.
Security sources said the forces launched Operation Ghazab-lil-Haqq in response to the Taliban regime’s actions. Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar stated that the Afghan Taliban initiated hostilities and then attempted to deflect attention through “false and baseless propaganda” on social media. He claimed that Taliban-linked and Indian social media accounts were spreading misleading narratives to cover up setbacks suffered on the ground.
According to Tarar, 36 Afghan Taliban operatives were killed in the exchanges and several others injured, while two Pakistani soldiers were martyred and three wounded. Security sources later put the total number of Afghan Taliban personnel killed at 44. There was no immediate response from authorities in Kabul.
Tarar said Pakistan also conducted successful operations against militants linked to Fitna al-Khawarij, the term used for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. He alleged that cross-border firing by Afghan forces in defence of the militants had exposed the Taliban regime internationally.
Security sources added that attempts to target Pakistani check posts using quadcopters were foiled, with all drones shot down. Pakistani forces responded with light and heavy weapons, while drone strikes targeted Taliban positions. Officials also accused the Taliban regime of circulating fake videos and false claims on social media.
Earlier, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the Afghan Taliban had “miscalculated” by opening fire at multiple locations across the border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and that Pakistan’s response was immediate and effective. It reported heavy casualties on the Afghan side, with several posts and military equipment destroyed in Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram and Bajaur sectors.
The development comes days after intelligence-based airstrikes along the border reportedly killed more than 100 militants in Nangarhar, Paktika and Khost provinces, targeting seven camps and hideouts linked to Fitna al-Khawarij. The strikes were carried out following recent suicide attacks inside Pakistan.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said Pakistan would give a clear and decisive response to any unprovoked action. Speaking to media outlets, he stressed that there would be no compromise on national security and that terrorism would be eliminated at all costs.
Security sources said Pakistani forces remain actively engaged along the border, particularly in the Bajaur sector, maintaining a robust response to any further aggression. (UPDATED)
NEWS DESK (MNN); Pakistan’s security forces killed at least 22 Afghan Taliban fighters on Thursday in a strong and coordinated response to unprovoked cross-border firing along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier, security sources said.
The escalation began when Afghan Taliban forces opened fire at multiple locations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Pakistani troops responded immediately, thwarting an attempted quadcopter attack and shooting down all hostile drones before they reached their targets.
The operation involved sustained fire using small and heavy weapons, as well as aerial drone strikes against Taliban positions. Multiple check posts and hideouts were destroyed, including a targeted strike in Chitral and retaliatory actions in Nawagai (Bajaur), Tirah (Khyber), Mohmand district, and Arandu sector. Two Afghan posts were destroyed in Bajaur alone.
Security sources stated that the intensity of Pakistan’s response forced Taliban fighters to abandon their positions. Officials also accused Taliban-linked media of spreading fabricated videos following the clashes.
Earlier, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said Afghan Taliban forces “miscalculated” by initiating unprovoked fire across the border. Pakistani troops launched immediate counter-operations in Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram, and Bajaur, resulting in heavy casualties for the Afghan side and destruction of multiple posts and military equipment.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry confirmed the decisive response on social media, stating that Taliban advances in Chitral, Mohmand, Kurram, and Bajaur sectors were thwarted, with heavy losses inflicted on the enemy. He emphasized that Pakistan would not compromise on its territorial integrity and would respond immediately and with full force to any aggression.
These clashes come less than a week after Pakistan targeted terrorist camps in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan. At that time, over 80 to 100 terrorists were reportedly killed in retaliation for multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, including the Islamabad imambargah suicide bombing and attacks in Bannu and Bajaur during Ramazan.
The Information Ministry reiterated that the strikes targeted seven terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Pakistani Taliban (Fitna-al-Khawarij) and Islamic State-Khorasan, using intelligence-based precision operations. Fitna-al-Khawarij is the state-designated term for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.
