- 240 terrorist incidents were reported in KP before the operation.
- 80 incidents recorded since the launch of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq.
- KP chief secretary says all stakeholders are on the same page.
PESHAWAR: Terrorist incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have decreased by 65% following the launch of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against terrorists and their supporting infrastructure in neighboring Afghanistan, police said on Saturday.
According to a report prepared by the KP police, 240 incidents of terrorism were reported in the province this year before the operation began, while 80 incidents have been recorded since its inception.
In total, 323 terrorist incidents have been reported so far this year, according to the report.
Security forces launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq last month following unprovoked aggression by the Afghan Taliban regime along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
As of March 15, officials said security forces had killed 684 Afghan Taliban operatives and militants and more than 912 were wounded.
In a statement at the time, Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said that 229 tanks, armored vehicles and artillery guns were also destroyed during the operation.
Tarar added that operations against Fitna al-Khawarij and the Afghan Taliban also resulted in the destruction of 252 posts, while another 44 were captured before being demolished.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home Affairs Talal Chaudhry said targeting terrorists and their hideouts in Afghanistan contributed to the reduction in attacks.
Chaudhry said the government was determined to eliminate terrorism from the country “at any cost”, adding that the masterminds behind the major terror attacks had been neutralized during the operation.
He also noted that Pakistan had shared intelligence on the terrorists and their sanctuaries with the Afghan Taliban regime.
Separately, KP Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah said the security forces’ operation had yielded positive results for law and order in the province.
“Federal and provincial institutions are working together to eradicate terrorism,” he said when speaking with Geographic news.
Shah reiterated that all stakeholders were on the same page in the fight against terrorism.
Cross-border terrorism
Terrorist attacks inside Pakistan saw a sharp increase in KP and Balochistan after the Afghan Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021.
Pakistan has repeatedly urged Kabul to prevent terrorist organizations from using its territory to carry out attacks within its territory.
However, the Afghan Taliban refused to act against terrorist groups involved in countless attacks on Pakistani security forces and civilians.
Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq months after the two countries agreed to a ceasefire in October 2025, following clashes sparked by unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban regime at multiple border points.
Islamabad said the firing by Afghan forces was aimed at helping terrorist formations cross the border into Pakistan.
After days of border clashes, Islamabad agreed to an initial ceasefire at Kabul’s request. The countries subsequently reached a ceasefire agreement in Qatar, which was mediated by Doha and Turkiye.
According to the agreement, Afghanistan’s terrorism on Pakistani soil was to be stopped immediately.
The two sides subsequently held follow-up talks in Turkiye, which did not yield the desired results.
