641 Afghan Taliban killed, 243 checkpoints destroyed during Operation Ghazab Lil Haq: Tarar

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Friday that 663 Afghan Taliban militants have been killed and more than 887 wounded during the ongoing operation Ghazab Lil Haq, launched in response to “unprovoked action” from across the Afghan border.

‘Operation Ghazab Lil Haq’ was launched almost two weeks ago following renewed clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border as Afghan Taliban forces fired at several locations, prompting swift military retaliation. The neighbors have clashed along the border since last week, when Afghanistan launched a border offensive in response to Pakistani airstrikes.

Islamabad said its airstrikes in February that triggered the escalation were targeting terrorists. Islamabad accused Afghanistan of failing to act against terrorist groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan, which the Taliban government denied. The border fighting has affected several Afghan provinces. The violence in recent days is the worst since October fighting killed more than 70 people on both sides, with land borders between the neighbors largely closed since.

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Giving a summary of the Afghan Taliban regime’s losses on its X account, the information minister said 249 checkpoints had been destroyed and 44 others captured by Pakistani security forces.

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

The minister added that 70 locations in Afghanistan were effectively targeted by airstrikes.

He maintained that Pakistan successfully targeted terrorist-affiliated installations in Afghanistan between Thursday and Friday night, adding: “In Kabul, Paktia and Kandhar, terrorists and its support infrastructure including logistic bases and camps were targeted.”

The minister also released a video which he said “clearly shows that Pakistan specifically targeted only those installations which directly/indirectly support terrorism from within Afghanistan and terrorist camps.

“No civilian population or civilian infrastructure was attacked as falsely propagated by Afghan regime officials and media.”

On Thursday, Pakistan reiterated its demand for verifiable assurances from Kabul that its territory would not be used for terrorist activities against Pakistan.

“Since no such assurances have been received, Pakistan will continue to follow its existing policy,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said while addressing his weekly news briefing. He added that Islamabad reserves the right to respond in self-defense against cross-border attacks.