ISLAMABAD:
Pakistani armed forces have intensified their cross-border operations in Afghanistan under Operation Ghazab Lil Haq, targeting terrorist infrastructure linked to the Afghan Taliban and Fitna al-Khwarij, security sources said on Sunday.
The operation, launched on February 26 in response to repeated attacks from Afghan territory, saw Pakistani forces strike several localities in Kandahar province on the night of March 14-15.
Afghan Taliban terrorist hideouts, military installations, equipment storage facilities and technical support centers used to facilitate attacks on Pakistani civilians by Fitna al-Khwarij — a term used for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan — have been destroyed.
“Last night, forces targeted a technical support center and a weapons cache in Kandahar,” a security source said. “A very important underground tunnel used to store technical equipment for militant activities was destroyed, along with another tunnel housing additional weapons.”
In Chitral sector, according to security sources, ground forces also destroyed a terrorist launch point near Badani post along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border using light and heavy weapons, supplemented by quadcopters.
The sources reported that the Ghazab Lil Haq operation inflicted heavy losses on the terrorists. So far, they added, 684 members of the Afghan Taliban have been killed, more than 912 injured, while 252 posts have been destroyed and 44 captured and demolished.
In addition, a total of 229 tanks, armored vehicles and artillery pieces were destroyed, while 73 sites linked to terrorist infrastructure were effectively targeted by airstrikes, the sources added.
Operation Ghazab Lil Haq aims to dismantle terrorist camps, logistics centers and infrastructure facilitating cross-border attacks, and officials have said the campaign will continue until all objectives are achieved.
Security officials stressed that only facilities directly or indirectly supporting terrorist activities were targeted. The Information Ministry rejected the Kabul regime’s claims that civilians were being targeted.
Drones neutralized
The latest strikes came as the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said drones launched from Afghanistan to target Pakistani cities were intercepted before reaching their targets. He added that the debris from the intercepted devices had injured civilians.
“On March 13, 2026, the Afghan Taliban launched a few rudimentary drones to harass the brave people of Pakistan,” the military’s media wing said, adding that the drones were neutralized using a combination of electronic and kinetic countermeasures.
“The drones were intercepted by soft and hard fire and did not hit their targets,” he said. “The debris from these drones injured two children in Quetta and one civilian in Kohat and Rawalpindi,” the ISPR added.
The Information Ministry also rejected the “baseless propaganda and fabricated claims” of the so-called Afghan Taliban Defense Ministry regarding “a successful drone attack” in Wana, South Waziristan.
The ministry said a drone was neutralized over South Waziristan using soft-kill technology, causing no damage and leaving military installations and infrastructure unharmed. He added that the Taliban have a history of making misleading statements.
The ministry cited previous Afghan claims, including reports of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) planes being shot down and pilots captured, which turned out to be false. “The information circulating on social media contradicts the facts. The truth always trumps lies and propaganda.”
Four killed in Bajaur
Meanwhile, four members of the same family were killed and another injured after a mortar shell, allegedly fired from across the Afghan border, landed on a house in the border area of Liti, Salarzai Tehsil, Bajaur district, police said.
Authorities said the shell hit a house, killing four brothers instantly. The deceased were identified as Sajid, Ayaz, Riaz and Muaz. One person was seriously injured in the incident and was transferred to a nearby hospital.
(COURTESY OF OUR CORRESPONDENT BAJAUR HANIFULLAH)
