583 Afghan Taliban killed as Pakistan continues strikes under Operation Ghazab lil-Haq

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Sunday that 583 Afghan Taliban operatives have been killed and more than 795 injured during the ongoing Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, launched in response to what Islamabad described as “unprovoked action” from across the Afghan border.

Operation Ghazab lil-Haq was launched last week following renewed clashes along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, after Afghan Taliban forces fired on multiple locations, prompting swift military retaliation by Pakistan.

The neighbouring countries have been engaged in escalating hostilities along the frontier since then. The clashes intensified after Afghanistan launched a border offensive in response to earlier Pakistani air strikes targeting terrorists’ positions.

Providing a summary of the losses of the Afghan Taliban regime as of 4 pm on Sunday, Tarar said security forces had destroyed 242 checkposts and captured 38 others during the operation.

“213 tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery guns have also been destroyed during the operation,” he said.

The minister added that 64 locations across Afghanistan had been effectively targeted in air strikes as part of the campaign.

Separately, the Pakistan Army foiled an infiltration attempt along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border near the Chaman sector, security sources said, as forces continue operations to protect the border fence and prevent terrorist crossings, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.

According to security officials, a group of three to four terrorists attempted to breach the fence in the border area adjacent to Chaman. Troops responded swiftly and targeted the group as they tried to cut through the barrier.

During the operation, an exchange of fire took place in which one terrorist was killed, while the remaining attackers fled the area in a wounded condition, the sources said.

“The Army effectively targeted the Khwarij attempting to cut the fence,” the security sources said.

Officials added that four to five improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and fence-cutting equipment were recovered from the militants at the site.

The latest escalation in tensions between the two countries follows a series of tit-for-tat actions over the past year.

Pakistan earlier carried out air strikes targeting camps of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State Khorasan Province inside Afghanistan after a wave of attacks in Pakistan, including a suicide bombing in Islamabad.

Pakistani security sources said more than 80 terrorists were killed in those strikes. The strikes prompted attacks by Afghanistan along the border, leading to the breakout of the latest round of open conflict.

Islamabad has long maintained that TTP leaders operate from Afghan territory, an allegation that Kabul has repeatedly denied.

Tensions also surged after a series of explosions in Kabul on October 9 last year. Taliban forces subsequently targeted areas along Pakistan’s border, prompting Islamabad to respond with cross-border shelling. The exchanges caused casualties and infrastructure damage on both sides and led to the suspension of trade after border crossings were closed on October 12, 2025. Staff Report