Operation Ghazab Lil Haq: 464 Taliban fighters killed, dozens of posts destroyed in escalating border war

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday said Pakistan’s security forces had killed 464 fighters of the Afghan Taliban regime, destroyed 188 check posts and captured 31 others during “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq,” launched in response to what he termed “unprovoked action” from across the border.

The operation was initiated late Thursday following renewed clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier, after Afghan Taliban forces reportedly opened fire on multiple locations, prompting swift retaliation. Cross-border fighting has escalated since Afghanistan launched a border offensive in response to Pakistani air strikes last week.

Islamabad maintains that its February air strikes targeted terrorist hideouts, accusing Kabul of failing to act against militant groups staging attacks inside Pakistan — a charge the Afghan Taliban government denies.

Heavy losses claimed

Providing a summary of losses as of 4pm, Tarar said more than 665 Afghan operatives were injured, while approximately 192 tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery pieces were destroyed. He added that 56 locations across Afghanistan had been “effectively targeted by air.”

The minister described the recent fighting as the most intense since clashes in October that killed more than 70 people on both sides. Land border crossings between the two neighbours have largely remained shut since then.

Operations in Balochistan and KP

Separately, Tarar said at least 67 Taliban militants were killed in counterterrorism operations in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), while one soldier of the Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan North was martyred.

According to the minister, militants launched 16 physical attacks in Balochistan’s Qilla Saifullah, Noshki and Chaman districts, all of which were repulsed. Security forces also thwarted fire raids at 25 additional locations.

“One soldier of FC Balochistan North gave the ultimate sacrifice while defending the motherland, while five soldiers are injured,” Tarar said, adding that 27 militants were killed in operations in the province.

In KP, security forces repelled another wave of overnight attacks. A physical assault was attempted at one site, while fire raids targeted 12 locations — all of which were successfully countered without casualties. Tarar said 40 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed in the province.

The operations form part of an intensified nationwide campaign against militant groups targeting security personnel and border districts, particularly in areas adjacent to Afghanistan.

Fighting continues across border

Meanwhile, AFP journalists in Kabul reported hearing multiple explosions and gunfire as Afghan and Pakistani troops continued to exchange fire. Blasts reverberated across the Afghan capital alongside anti-aircraft fire, while Afghanistan’s defence ministry confirmed that clashes with Pakistani forces were ongoing.

At the Torkham border crossing, roughly 50 kilometres from Jalalabad, residents told AFP that days-long fighting was continuing, underscoring the volatile security situation along the frontier.