641 Afghan Taliban killed, 243 checkposts destroyed during Operation Ghazab Lil Haq: Tarar

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Friday that 663 Afghan Taliban operatives have been killed and more than 887 injured during the ongoing Operation Ghazab Lil Haq, launched in response to “unprovoked action” from across the Afghan border.

‘Operation Ghazab Lil Haq’ was launched almost two weeks ago after renewed clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, when Afghan Taliban forces fired on multiple locations, prompting swift military retaliation. The neighbours have clashed along the frontier since last week, when Afghanistan launched a border offensive in response to Pakistani air strikes.

Islamabad said its February air strikes that sparked the escalation were targeting terrorists. Islamabad accused Afghanistan of failing to act against terrorist groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan, which the Taliban government rejected. The border fighting has hit multiple Afghan provinces. The violence of recent days is the worst since the October fighting killed more than 70 people on both sides, with land borders between the neighbours largely shut since.

Read More: Security forces foil infiltration attempt by ‘Fitna al-Khawarij’ in North Waziristan: sources

Providing a summary of the Afghan Taliban regime’s losses on his X account, the information minister said that 249 check posts had been destroyed and 44 others captured by Pakistani security forces.

“Two hundred and twenty-four tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery guns have also been destroyed during the operation,” he said.

The minister added that 70 locations across Afghanistan were effectively targeted by air strikes.

He maintained that Pakistan successfully targeted terrorists’ affiliated installations in Afghanistan between Thursday and Friday night, adding, “In Kabul, Paktia and Kandhar terrorists and its support infrastructure including logistic bases and camps were targeted.”

The minister also released a video which he said “clearly shows that the Pakistan precisely targeted only those installations which directly/indirectly support terrorism from inside Afghanistan and terrorist camps.

“No civilian population or civilian infrastructures were targeted as falsely propagated by Afghan regime officials and media.”

On Thursday, Pakistan reiterated its demand for verifiable assurances from Kabul that its territory would not be used for terrorist activities against Pakistan.

“Since such assurances have not been received, Pakistan will continue to follow its existing policy,” said Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi while addressing his weekly news briefing. He added that Islamabad reserved the right to respond in self-defense against cross-border attacks.