Operation Ghazab-Lil-Haq will continue until Taliban ends support for terrorism: security sources

Security sources said the ongoing Ghazab Lil Haq operation would continue until “credible guarantees and concrete steps” are taken by the Afghan Taliban to end their support for terrorists against Pakistan, the state said. Radio Pakistan reported Thursday.

Pakistan is currently carrying out “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq”, launched last Thursday after renewed clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, when Afghan Taliban forces fired on several locations, provoking rapid military retaliation. The neighbors have been clashing along the border since last week, when Afghanistan launched a border offensive in response to Pakistani airstrikes.

Chief of Defense Force and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir said a day ago that all necessary measures would be taken to neutralize the threat of terrorism emanating from across the border. He said the use of Afghan soil for acts of terrorism was unacceptable, adding that peace could only prevail between the two sides if the Afghan Taliban renounced its support for terrorism and terrorist organizations.

Radio Pakistan reported that during a briefing with journalists from various districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa at the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Headquarters regarding the ongoing operation, “it was stated that Operation Ghazab Lil Haq is a continuation of Pakistan’s ongoing war against terrorism and will continue until there are credible guarantees and concrete steps from the Afghan Taliban regime to end sponsorship of terrorism.”

Security sources said Pakistan had no problem with Afghanistan or its people, adding that its only concern was the Afghan Taliban regime, which they said was acting as “a central proxy master of terrorism in the region.”

They added that the regime had become a threat to regional peace and stability by facilitating multiple militant organizations.

“The Afghan Taliban regime will have to choose between Pakistan and supporting terrorist groups,” the report said.

The security sources said the killing of innocent civilians, violence against women and attacks on mosques or their use for terrorism were against Pakistan’s religious and social traditions, stressing that terrorists were promoting a “distorted and self-made interpretation” of Islam when the religion had nothing to do with terrorism or suicide attacks.

“Scholars from all schools of thought have declared the fight against these elements and their enablers to be a form of righteous jihad.”

According to the report, the security sources informed the assembled journalists that Pakistan was targeting hideouts, facilitation centers and cross-border launch pads of terrorist groups, while rejecting reports suggesting that civilians were being targeted and calling such claims contrary to the facts.

“All operations are carried out strictly on the basis of verified intelligence and only target terrorist infrastructures,” the security sources said.

They noted that the Ministry of Information and security institutions regularly briefed the media and public on the progress of the operation and published verified video reports, while claiming that false rumors were spread by official Afghan social media accounts and Indian-backed media outlets during the operation.

According to the report, security sources said that groups persecuted under Taliban rule in Afghanistan welcomed the operation, adding that intelligence-led operations were also continuing in Pakistan.

“Security forces indicated that in addition to actions against terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan, intelligence operations continue in Pakistan, with more than 200 such operations successfully carried out daily,” the report said.

Security sources stressed that national unity and full implementation of the National Action Plan were essential to eliminate terrorism.

“It was said that Pakistan believed in constructive and positive relations with all countries and remained fully prepared to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Those who view Pakistan’s security as threatened in the context of the situation in Iran and the region as a whole are living in a fool’s paradise,” the report said.

A senior Pakistani security official had also said on Monday that the operation would continue until the Afghan Taliban government provides a guarantee that it would stop facilitating terrorist groups targeting Pakistan.

On the issue of Iran, the official dismissed suggestions that Pakistan could be the next target of regional escalation, calling such claims “baseless and contrary to the ground reality.” He added that Pakistan and Iran cannot be considered identical in terms of military capability, foreign policy or domestic conditions.

He said Pakistan remained committed to a strong foreign policy based on mutual respect and trust, and was fully capable of defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Operations Updates

Separately, Radio Pakistan also reported, citing security sources, that the Pakistani army destroyed the headquarters of the Afghan Taliban 205th Corps brigade in Kandahar in a successful airstrike.

Read: CDF Munir says all necessary measures must be taken to neutralize threat from Afghan border

“The Pakistan Army also targeted the ammunition depots of the Afghan Taliban in this effective operation. The sources said that the Afghan Taliban is suffering heavy military losses during the effective and powerful operations of the Pakistan Army,” the report added.

It also said the Afghan Taliban suffered heavy military losses during the ongoing operations, with the army targeting 41 enemy posts with light and heavy weapons last night.

He added that the strikes were carried out in border areas adjacent to Chaman, Zhob, Qila Saifullah and Nushki sectors, with reports of “heavy casualties and material losses” for the Afghan Taliban and the TTP during the operations.

He added that as part of a separate intelligence operation in the Arandu sector, the army carried out action against an armed formation of the Afghan Taliban.

It cites security sources as saying that “the cowardly Afghan Taliban were forced to abandon their weapons at posts and flee” due to the army’s “vigorous operation.”

The sources added that the Afghan Taliban center was also completely destroyed during the operation.

“Security sources said that operations led by Ghazab Lil Haq would continue until the set objectives were fully achieved,” the report said.

Russia calls for dialogue

Meanwhile, Russia has expressed concern over ongoing fighting along the Pakistan-Afghan border and called on both countries to avoid military confrontation.

In a statement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow was concerned by reports of clashes along the Afghan-Pakistani border.

“In recent days, armed clashes involving aircraft and heavy weapons have been reported across virtually the entire border area inhabited by Pashtun tribes,” she said.

Zakharova added that there had been casualties on both sides and that the civilian population was suffering, including Afghan refugees returning from neighboring Pakistan and Iran.

“We once again call on Kabul and Islamabad to refrain from any military confrontation and to resolve their differences through dialogue based on mutual respect,” she said.