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

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Friday that 663 Afghan Taliban operatives were killed and more than 887 wounded during the ongoing Operation Ghazab Lil Haq, launched in response to “unprovoked measures” from across the Afghan border.

‘Operation Ghazab Lil Haq’ was launched almost two weeks ago after fresh clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, when Afghan Taliban forces fired on multiple 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 February airstrikes that sparked the escalation targeted terrorists. Islamabad accused Afghanistan of failing to act against terrorist groups carrying out attacks in Pakistan, which the Taliban government rejected. Border fighting has affected several Afghan provinces. The violence of recent days is the worst since fighting in October killed more than 70 people on both sides, and land borders between the neighbors have since been virtually closed.

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

“During the operation, 224 tanks, armored vehicles and artillery pieces were also destroyed,” he said.

The minister added that 70 locations across Afghanistan were indeed targeted by airstrikes.

He maintained that Pakistan successfully attacked terrorist-affiliated facilities in Afghanistan between Thursday and Friday night, adding: “In Kabul, Paktia and Kandhar, terrorists and their supporting infrastructure, including bases and logistics camps, were attacked.”

The minister also released a video which he said “clearly shows that Pakistan precisely targeted only those facilities that directly or indirectly support terrorism from inside 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.

“As no such assurances have been received, Pakistan will continue to follow its current policy,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said during his weekly press briefing. He added that Islamabad reserved the right to respond in self-defense against cross-border attacks.