DG ISPR says enemy carried out incursions at 53 sites spread across 15 sectors; 297 Taliban killed
Pakistani soldiers pose with the national flag at a captured checkpoint in Afghanistan, while showing respect for the enemy flag.
ISLAMABAD:
In a dramatic escalation along the volatile western border, Pakistan said Friday it had carried out “precise and heavy” retaliatory operations inside Afghanistan, using massive air power to bombard military bases, munitions depots and other installations after what it described as repeated cross-border terrorist attacks and the latest “provocative military actions” by the Taliban regime.
Islamabad said it inflicted massive casualties on Afghan regime troops and allied terrorist networks in retaliatory strikes that mark one of the most serious clashes between the two neighbors since 2021.
The military said the surge followed coordinated cross-border attacks and raids carried out by Afghan Taliban forces in collusion with the banned group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), triggering a forceful and “measured” response from the armed forces.
Addressing a press conference, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry revealed that Pakistan’s “immediate and effective response” resulted in the death of 297 Afghan regime personnel and injuries to over 450 others.
He also confirmed that 12 Pakistani soldiers had embraced martyrdom, 27 were injured and one soldier was missing in the ongoing clashes along several sectors of the Pak-Afghan border.
According to the military spokesperson, Afghan Taliban forces opened fire and carried out incursions in 53 locations in 15 sectors along the border. He said these actions were carried out in coordination with the TTP, which he described as a globally designated terrorist organization.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif further claimed that 89 Afghan posts were completely destroyed in retaliatory operations, 18 posts were recaptured by Pakistani forces and 135 tanks and armored vehicles were destroyed.
To provide context, he said that on the night of February 21-22, Pakistani forces carried out “very carefully calibrated” strikes against TTP hideouts in 22 locations inside Afghanistan. He said no civilian casualties were recorded during these operations.
“These actions against terrorist hideouts were used as a pretext by what he called the ‘master copy of terrorist organizations’ – the Afghan Taliban – to launch a so-called action against Pakistan,” he said.
DG ISPR added that subsequent engagements included strikes against military installations in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktika. He said that in Kabul, an infantry brigade headquarters and other military installations were targeted, while terrorist sanctuaries and weapons depots were destroyed.
He stressed that the operation was being carried out under the direction of civilian leadership and would continue until the “required objectives” were achieved.
“The Afghan regime will have to choose between Pakistan and terrorist groups,” he said. “Our choice is clear: Pakistan, its security, its people and its honor.”
The Pakistani military’s claims could not be independently verified.
FO invokes the right to self-defense
At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a strongly worded press release claiming that the Pakistan Defense Forces had carried out “specific operations” against terrorist groups and their logistical support bases in Afghanistan.
The Foreign Ministry said the action followed “repeated terrorist attacks in Fitna-e-Khawarij and Fitna-e-Hindustan” emanating from Afghan soil, as well as the latest “unjustified and provocative actions” of the Taliban regime on the night of February 26.
Islamabad maintained that its actions were taken in exercise of Pakistan’s inherent right to self-defense under international law and the United Nations Charter to ensure the safety and security of its citizens and the region as a whole.
He warned that any further provocation by the Taliban regime or any attempt by terrorist groups to undermine the security and well-being of Pakistan would be met with a “measured, decisive and appropriate response”.
The statement said Pakistan has always sought peaceful and constructive relations with Afghanistan and remained engaged in diplomatic efforts to address the threat of terrorism emanating from Afghan territory. He, however, regretted that his “numerous goodwill gestures and highly responsible approach” had been misinterpreted, leading to an increase in terrorist attacks allegedly carried out with “the active support and backing of the Taliban regime, as well as India”.
Pakistan has reiterated its determination to eradicate terrorism from Afghanistan and called on Afghan authorities to end the “impunity” with which militant groups continue to operate from their soil. He also urged the international community to pressure the Taliban regime to take “concrete and verifiable measures” against these groups.
Islamabad said it reserved the right to take all appropriate self-defense measures in accordance with international law.
Amid escalating tensions, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, where he received a comprehensive briefing from the military leadership on the developing situation.
The prime minister declared “zero tolerance” for what he described as the link between Fitna-e-Khawarij and the Afghan Taliban regime, calling the actions against Pakistan “unacceptable.”
Under the leadership of Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Force Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the armed forces were fully prepared to defend the country, he said.
“Pakistan knows well how to defend itself against any aggression,” the Prime Minister remarked, praising the professionalism and operational preparedness of the armed forces to repel attacks in the border areas and respond to them forcefully.
He added that the entire nation stood with the armed forces to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said he was specially briefed by DG ISPR about the operation and the Pak-Afghan situation.
He said Pakistan responded effectively to the Afghan aggression and took control of several Afghan posts. He accused the Afghan Taliban regime of supporting terrorist groups and allowing the use of Afghan soil for recent attacks in Pakistan.
According to Tarar, Afghan nationals were involved in attacks on Islamabad district courts and in Tarlai. He alleged that recent suicide attacks on the court complex and an imambargah in Islamabad were facilitated using Afghan territory.
Beyond security concerns, the minister criticized the governance of the Taliban, describing the current configuration in Kabul as an “illegal government” that took power by force.
He said the Taliban’s new penal code institutionalized repression, violence and discrimination against women, was a direct violation of international human rights conventions and was incompatible with Islamic principles of equality and dignity.
Tarar claimed that nearly 80 percent of Afghan women aged 18 to 29 were deprived of education, that Afghanistan had the largest gender gap in labor force participation in the world, and that women had been systematically excluded from political decision-making at all levels.
The latest exchange of fire and sharp rhetoric signal a perilous phase in relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. As Islamabad emphasizes its pursuit of regional peace and stability, it has made clear that cross-border attacks and alleged state-sponsored militancy will call for a forceful response.
