641 Afghan Taliban killed and 243 checkpoints destroyed in Operation Ghazab Lil Haq: Tarar

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Friday that 663 Afghan Taliban were killed and more than 887 injured during 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-Afghan border, when Afghan Taliban forces fired on several locations, prompting 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.

Islamabad said the February airstrikes that triggered the escalation targeted terrorists. Islamabad has accused Afghanistan of failing to act against terrorist groups carrying out attacks in Pakistan, something the Taliban government has rejected. Border fighting has affected several Afghan provinces. The violence in recent days is the worst since October fighting that killed more than 70 people on both sides, with land borders between the neighbors largely closed since then.

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Taking stock of the losses of the Afghan Taliban regime on his X account, the Information Minister said that 249 checkpoints had been destroyed and 44 others captured by Pakistani security forces.

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

The minister added that 70 sites across Afghanistan were effectively targeted by airstrikes.

He claimed that Pakistan successfully targeted terrorist-affiliated facilities in Afghanistan between Thursday and Friday evening, adding, “In Kabul, Paktia and Kandhar terrorists and their support infrastructure, including bases and logistics camps, were targeted.”

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

“No civilian population or civilian infrastructure has been targeted as falsely claimed 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 no such assurances have been received, Pakistan will continue to follow its current policy,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said at his weekly press briefing. He added that Islamabad reserves the right to respond in self-defense against cross-border attacks.