Security forces have killed 415 Afghan Taliban in a major military operation launched in response to “unprovoked cross-border attacks” from Afghanistan, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Sunday.
‘Operation Ghazab-Lil-Haq’ was launched late on Thursday following renewed clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Operation is ongoing and will continue until all objectives are achieved, sources confirmed. The Pakistani armed forces remain fully committed to defending national security and responding decisively to any unprovoked aggression, they added. In a statement posted on X, Tarar said that as of 4pm on Sunday, at least 415 Afghan Taliban terrorists had been killed, with more than 580 injured.
He added that Pakistani forces had destroyed 182 Taliban posts, captured 31 others, and disabled 185 tanks and armoured personnel carriers. Air strikes were carried out at 46 locations inside Afghanistan, the minister said.
The latest escalation follows a series of tit-for-tat actions over the past year.
Meanwhile, security sources said that on February 28, in broad daylight, Pakistani troops crossed the border fence near North Waziristan and advanced towards what was described as an Afghan Taliban central post inside Afghan territory. Upon the approach of Pakistani forces, Afghan Taliban fighters reportedly fled the post, security sources said.
The Pakistani military subsequently took control of the central post and cleared surrounding compounds during what was described as a “full-scale retaliatory action”, removing flags hoisted by the opposing side.
Sources maintained that the operation remains ongoing, with forces continuing to consolidate their positions in the area.
Moreover, Federal Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal has refuted social media reports that Pakistan halted its operations against Afghan Taliban.
“The reality is the opposite. In view of the current regional situation, sharing Pakistan Air Force and drone footage with the media has been temporarily stopped. The purpose of this decision is to safeguard national security and operational strategy, not to halt the operations,” he wrote in a post on X.
“Operations continue unabated,” Fazal said, adding that the operation against terrorist elements was “advancing with full intensity and wisdom”.