Tarar says airstrikes destroyed ammunition depots; Kabul denies this and affirms that there were civilian victims
A Pakistani army tank stands on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Chaman on February 27, 2026, following overnight cross-border fighting between the two countries. Photo: AFP
Pakistan’s armed forces carried out precision airstrikes late on March 16 under “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq” against what officials described as terrorism-supporting Afghan Taliban regime military facilities in Kabul and Nangarhar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Tuesday.
“Technical support infrastructure and ammunition storage facilities in two locations in Kabul were effectively destroyed. Secondary detonations visible after the attacks clearly indicate the presence of large ammunition depots,” Tarar wrote in X.
✅ March 17, 2026
✅ Pakistan Armed Forces successfully carried out precision airstrikes on the night of March 16 as part of Operation Ghazab Lil Haq, targeting terrorism by the Afghan Taliban regime that sponsors military facilities in Kabul and Nangarhar.
✅Technical support… pic.twitter.com/b8YJkGC0cv
– Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) March 16, 2026
He said four military sites of the “terrorism-sponsoring” Afghan Taliban regime were also attacked in Nangarhar, destroying associated logistics, ammunition and technical infrastructure.
According to the minister, the attacks were “precise” and limited to infrastructure used by the Afghan Taliban regime to support its “multiple terrorist proxies,” including Fitna Al Khawarij and Fitna Al Hindustan, terms Pakistani authorities use for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), respectively.
“The false claims made by the Taliban regime’s propagandists cannot deceive Afghans and the world regarding their atrocious actions of supporting and sponsoring terrorism in the region,” he said.
Afghan Taliban authorities in Kabul said the attacks hit a drug treatment center and killed civilians, a claim Pakistani security sources rejected as “ridiculous.”
Operation Ghazab Lil Haq was launched last month following fresh clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, after Afghan Taliban forces fired at multiple locations, prompting swift military retaliation by Pakistan.
Neighboring countries have since escalated hostilities along the border. Clashes intensified after Afghanistan launched a border offensive in response to earlier Pakistani airstrikes on terrorist positions.
“Operations under the command of Ghazab Lil Haq to safeguard Pakistani citizens against terrorism undertaken by Master Terror Proxy (Afghan Taliban) will continue until the desired objectives are fully achieved,” Tarar said.
Also read: Precision attacks target Taliban warehouse in Kabul
Video footage circulated after the attacks showed high flames and secondary explosions, which a source said confirmed that a large stockpile of explosives had been hit in the Afghan capital.
Earlier, security sources said the army carried out operations in the Kurram sector, targeting key hideouts used by Afghan Taliban and Fitna al-Khawarij operatives. Several positions allegedly used for terrorist activities were attacked.
The operation destroyed multiple Taliban outposts and killed several Khawarij (the term used by authorities to refer to TTP-linked terrorists) while others fled, the sources added.
Separately, Pakistani forces also carried out retaliatory actions in the Bajaur sector along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, attacking Afghan Taliban posts near the border.
Security sources said the operation destroyed several Taliban positions and that the army also used guided missiles during the attacks.
The latest escalation of tensions between the two countries follows a series of tit-for-tat actions over the past year.
Pakistan previously carried out airstrikes against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) camps and the Islamic State’s Khorasan province inside Afghanistan after a wave of attacks in Pakistan, including a suicide bombing in Islamabad.
Read more: 13 terrorists killed in intelligence operations across KP territory
Pakistani security sources said more than 80 terrorists were killed in those attacks. The attacks prompted attacks by Afghanistan along the border, sparking the latest round of open conflict.
Islamabad has long maintained that TTP leaders operate from Afghan territory, a charge Kabul has repeatedly denied.
Tensions also rose after a series of explosions in Kabul on October 9 last year. Taliban forces subsequently attacked areas along the border with Pakistan, prompting Islamabad to respond with cross-border bombings. The exchanges caused casualties and damage to infrastructure on both sides and led to the suspension of trade after the closure of border crossings on October 12, 2025.
