A Pakistani soldier at the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. PHOTO: AFP
Pakistani security forces have launched “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq”, carrying out coordinated air and ground strikes against Afghan Taliban positions in Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia and Nangarhar, as well as several other locations, following what officials described as unprovoked cross-border aggression.
The development comes as the military said Pakistan has “effectively repulsed” Afghan Taliban insurgents at 53 locations along the border, inflicting heavy casualties while exercising restraint to avoid civilian casualties.
Meaning behind the name
During the Pak-Afghan conflict, Pakistan named the latest military action Operation Ghazab Lil Haq. The term is understood to mean “Anger for the truth” or “Anger for the sake of justice”, reflecting what officials describe as a forceful response to aggression.
Over the past two decades, most operations conducted by the Pakistan Army have been named after Arabic or religious terminology, partly to give the campaigns a moral or ideological context. But during this period, Pakistan also carried out an operation whose name was taken from English.
Read: The US says it supports Pakistan’s ‘right to defend itself’ against the Afghan Taliban
On June 15, 2014, in North Waziristan – a tribal region bordering Afghanistan – the military launched Operation Zarb-e-Azb against militants. The Arabic term combines “Zarb” (strike) and “Azb” referring to the sword of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), collectively meaning “the blow of the sword of truth”.
In February 2017, the Pakistan Army conducted nationwide search operations in all four provinces to eliminate terrorism and detained several people under Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, which means rejection or elimination of disorder and terrorism.
During Pak-India tensions in 2019, Pakistan announced Operation Swift Retort in response to Indian airstrikes, in which Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman was also captured. The English name combines “hurtig” (fast) and “retort” (answer), which together mean a quick reaction.
The latest operation underscores Pakistan’s determination to secure its western border while minimizing civilian casualties.
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Pakistan said on Saturday its forces had killed 331 Taliban terrorists in a major military operation launched after what it described as unprovoked cross-border attacks from Afghanistan, as regional and global powers called for restraint amid rising tensions. The government said “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq” was launched late Thursday following renewed clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
In a statement issued on X, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that from Saturday at As of 9:00 a.m., at least 331 Afghan Taliban, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters and other militants had been killed, with more than 500 wounded.
Operation Ghazb lil Haq
Update at 09.00 28 Feb✅*Overview of Afghan Taliban Losses*
▪️331 killed,
▪️500 + injured,
▪️104 checkpoints destroyed,
▪️22 posts captured,
▪️163 tanks and armed vehicles destroyed
▪️37 Locations across Afg eff tgt by plane— Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) 28 February 2026
Read more: Merciless accounts of the Taliban
Tarar said Pakistani forces destroyed 104 Taliban positions, seized 22 others and disabled 163 tanks and armored personnel carriers, adding that airstrikes were carried out on 37 locations in Afghanistan. Pakistani officials maintained that the operation targeted armed groups aligned with the Afghan Taliban, which Islamabad accuses of carrying out repeated cross-border attacks.
