Information Minister says 182 Taliban checkpoints destroyed; Pakistani forces take control of 31 additional posts
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar holds a press conference in Islamabad on Friday. —SCREEN CAPTURE
ISLAMABAD:
Security forces killed 415 Afghan Taliban in a major military operation launched in response to “unprovoked cross-border attacks” from Afghanistan, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Sunday.
According to the federal minister of information, 415 Afghan Taliban have been killed and 580 wounded in the operation so far. It said 182 Taliban checkpoints had been completely destroyed, while Pakistani forces had taken control of an additional 31 checkpoints.
The minister called the response decisive and said operations were continuing as planned.
The Minister of Information further stated that 115 tanks, armored vehicles and artillery guns of the Afghan Taliban had been destroyed during the course of the fighting.
He added that air operations had effectively targeted 46 locations across Afghanistan. Security sources said that on February 28, in broad daylight, Pakistani troops advanced through the border fence from North Waziristan towards a central Taliban outpost.
According to sources, the Afghan personnel fled upon seeing the advancing Pakistani forces, after which the central post was taken. During the operation, enemy compounds were cleared and their flags removed.
Additionally, security sources said that an Afghan checkpoint in the Kurram sector was also attacked. The post was destroyed with explosives and several Afghan personnel were reported dead.
The sources added that the Afghan Taliban regime was facing setbacks on multiple fronts and maintained that the operation would continue until its objectives were achieved.
