Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday confirmed that Pakistan’s security forces successfully repelled a series of large-scale attacks by the Afghan Taliban across Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa overnight.
In an operational update, the minister detailed the progress of ‘Operation Ghazb lil Haq’, revealing that at least 67 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed during the skirmishes. One soldier was martyred and five others wounded in the clashes, he added.
In Northern Balochistan, the Afghan Taliban launched physical assaults on 16 different locations across the Qilla Saifullah, Noshki, and Chaman districts. Simultaneously, Pakistani troops were engaged in fire raids at an additional 25 locations.
The minister confirmed that all attacks were effectively repulsed, resulting in 27 Afghan Taliban fatalities and numerous injuries. One soldier from the Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan North embraced martyrdom while defending the motherland, and five others sustained injuries, he maintained.
The situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saw 12 fire raids and one attempted physical assault by the Afghan Taliban. Security forces successfully defended all positions without any loss of life on the Pakistani side.
Overnight operations in the province resulted in the killing of 40 Afghan Taliban personnel.
Minister Tarar stated that follow-up operations remain underway to secure the affected areas. A more detailed briefing regarding the ongoing military response is expected to be released later today.
Amid clashes with Taliban forces, Pakistan’s strikes last week hit Taliban military installations and posts, including in Kabul and Kandahar, in one of the deepest Pakistani incursions into its western neighbour in years, officials said.
Islamabad accuses the Taliban of harbouring Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists, who it claims are waging terrorism inside Pakistan. The fighting has raised the risk of a protracted conflict along the rugged 2,600-km (1,615-mile) frontier.
Separately, at least two children were seriously injured after a mortar shell fired from unknown location landed in Orakzai on Tuesday.
The incident occurred within the limits of Ghaljo Police Station, specifically in the area of Qaum Akhel Samerki Khel.
According to police, the mortar shell reportedly came from an unknown direction and exploded upon impact, causing severe injuries to two children.
The injured children have been identified as 10-year-old Ayesha and 5-year-old Umar. They were immediately shifted to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
Police have yet to confirm further details regarding the origin of the mortar shell.