The DG ISPR says the enemy carried out raids at 53 places in 15 sectors; 297 Taliban agents killed
Pakistani soldiers pose with the national flag at a captured checkpoint inside Afghanistan, while showing respect for the enemy flag.
ISLAMABAD:
In a dramatic escalation along the volatile western border, Pakistan said on Friday it had carried out “precise and heavy” retaliatory operations inside Afghanistan, using massive airpower to bomb military bases, ammunition depots and other facilities after what it described as repeated cross-border terrorist attacks and the latest “provocative military actions” by the Taliban regime.
Islamabad said it inflicted massive losses on Afghan regime troops and allied terrorist networks in retaliatory attacks that mark one of the most serious clashes between the two neighbors since 2021.
The military said the blast followed coordinated cross-border attacks and raids carried out by Afghan Taliban forces in connivance with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), prompting a forceful and “measured” response from the armed forces.
Addressing a press conference, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry revealed that Pakistan’s “immediate and effective response” resulted in the death of 297 Afghan regime personnel and injuries to over 450 others.
He also confirmed that 12 Pakistani soldiers had embraced martyrdom, 27 were injured and one soldier was missing in the ongoing clashes along multiple sectors of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
According to the military spokesperson, the Afghan Taliban forces opened fire and raided 53 locations in 15 sectors along the border. He said these actions were carried out in coordination with the TTP, which he described as a globally designated terrorist organization.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif further stated that 89 Afghan posts had been completely destroyed in retaliation operations, 18 posts were taken by Pakistani forces and 135 tanks and armored vehicles were destroyed.
Giving background, he said that on the nights of February 21 and 22, Pakistani forces had carried out “very carefully calibrated” attacks on TTP hideouts in 22 locations inside Afghanistan. He maintained that no civilian casualties occurred in these operations.
“These actions against terrorist hideouts were used as a pretext by what he called the ‘master copy of terrorist organizations’ – the Afghan Taliban – to launch an alleged action against Pakistan,” he said.
The DG ISPR added that subsequent clashes included attacks on military installations in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktika. He said that in Kabul, an infantry brigade headquarters and other military facilities were attacked, while terrorist sanctuaries and weapons depots were destroyed.
He stressed that the operation was being carried out under the direction of civilian leaders and would continue until the “required objectives” were achieved.
“The Afghan regime will have to choose between Pakistan and terrorist groups,” he said. “Our choice is clear: Pakistan, its security, its people and its honor.”
The claims made by the Pakistani military could not be independently verified.
FO invokes the right to self-defense
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs issued a strongly worded press release stating that Pakistan’s defense forces had carried out “precise operations” against terrorist groups and their logistical support bases in Afghanistan.
The Ministry of External Affairs said the action came in response to the “repeated Fitna-e-Khawarij and Fitna-e-Hindustan terrorist attacks” emanating from Afghan soil, as well as the latest “unjustified and provocative actions” by the Taliban regime on the night of February 26.
Islamabad maintained that its actions were carried out in exercise of Pakistan’s inherent right to self-defence under international law and the UN Charter to ensure the security of its citizens and the region at large.
He warned that any new provocation by the Taliban regime, or attempts by terrorist groups to undermine the security and well-being of Pakistan, would be met with a “measured, decisive and appropriate response.”
The statement said Pakistan had consistently pursued peaceful and constructive relations with Afghanistan and had remained engaged in diplomatic efforts to address the threat of terrorism emanating from Afghan territory. However, he regretted that his “numerous gestures of goodwill and highly responsible approach” were misinterpreted, leading to an increase in terrorist attacks allegedly carried out with the “active support and backing of the Taliban regime as well as India.”
Pakistan reiterated its determination to eradicate terrorism emanating from Afghanistan and called on Afghan authorities to end the “impunity” with which militant groups continue to operate from its soil. He also urged the international community to pressure the Taliban regime to take “concrete and verifiable measures” against such groups.
Islamabad said it reserved the right to take all appropriate measures in self-defense in accordance with international law.
Amid escalating tensions, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, where he was briefed comprehensively by military leaders on the evolving situation.
The prime minister declared “zero tolerance” towards what he described as the nexus between Fitna-e-Khawarij and the Afghan Taliban regime, calling the actions against Pakistan “unacceptable”.
Under the leadership of Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the armed forces were fully prepared to defend the country, he said.
“Pakistan knows well how to defend itself against any aggression,” the prime minister stressed, praising the professionalism and operational preparedness of the armed forces to repel attacks in the border areas and respond with force.
He added that the entire nation stood shoulder to shoulder with the armed forces to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said he had been specially briefed by DG ISPR about the operation and the situation between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
He said Pakistan had responded effectively to Afghan aggression and had taken control of multiple Afghan outposts. He accused the Afghan Taliban regime of supporting terrorist groups and allowing Afghan soil to be used for recent attacks in Pakistan.
According to Tarar, Afghan citizens participated in the attacks on the Islamabad district courts and in Tarlai. He alleged that the recent suicide attacks on the Judicial Complex and an imambargah in Islamabad were facilitated using Afghan territory.
Beyond security concerns, the minister criticized the Taliban government, describing the current setup in Kabul as an “illegal government” that had taken power by force.
He said the Taliban’s newly introduced penal code institutionalized repression, violence and discrimination against women, and directly violated international human rights conventions, as well as being incompatible with Islamic principles of equality and dignity.
Tarar claimed that nearly 80% of Afghan women aged 18 to 29 were deprived of education, that Afghanistan had the largest gender gap in labor force participation globally, and that women had been systematically excluded from political decision-making at all levels.
The latest exchange of fire and harsh rhetoric signals a dangerous phase in Pakistan-Afghanistan relations. While Islamabad insists it seeks regional peace and stability, it has made clear that cross-border attacks and alleged state-backed militancy will invite a forceful response.
