527 Afghan Taliban killed, 237 check posts destroyed: Tarar

Operation Ghazab Lil Haq enters ninth day

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Friday that 527 Afghan Taliban operatives have been killed and more than 755 injured during the ongoing Operation Ghazab Lil Haq, launched in response to “unprovoked action” from across the Afghan border.

‘Operation Ghazab Lil Haq’ was launched late on Thursday after renewed clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, when Afghan Taliban forces fired on multiple locations, prompting swift military retaliation. The neighbours have clashed along the frontier since last week, when Afghanistan launched a border offensive in response to Pakistani air strikes.

Islamabad said its February air strikes that sparked the escalation were targeting terrorists. Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of failing to act against terrorist groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan, which the Taliban government rejects. The border fighting has hit multiple Afghan provinces. The violence of recent days is the worst since the October fighting killed more than 70 people on both sides, with land borders between the neighbours largely shut since.

Providing a summary of the Afghan Taliban regime’s losses as of 4pm today, the information minister said 237 check posts had been destroyed and 38 others captured by Pakistani security forces.

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

The minister added that 62 locations across Afghanistan were effectively targeted by air strikes.

Meanwhile, state-run Radio Pakistan reported that the ground and air operations of the Pakistan Armed Forces were effectively underway against the Afghan Taliban and Fitna-al-Khwarij.

According to security sources, the Pakistan Army destroyed several posts with heavy artillery fire in Kurram sector along the Pak-Afghan border in a successful operation against the Afghan Taliban.

The military also destroyed terrorist hideouts adjacent to Zhob and Qila Saifullah sectors.

“According to the security sources, Afghan Taliban were forced to flee their posts during the effective operation by the Pakistan Army,” the report said. Staff Report