A Pakistani soldier on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. PHOTO: AFP
Pakistani security forces have launched “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq,” carrying out coordinated air and ground strikes against Afghan Taliban positions in Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia and Nangarhar, as well as several other locations, following what officials described as unprovoked cross-border aggression.
The development comes as the military said Pakistan has “effectively repulsed” Afghan Taliban insurgents at 53 locations along the border, inflicting heavy losses while exercising restraint to avoid harm to civilians.
Meaning behind the name
During the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Pakistan named the last military action. Operation Ghazab Lil Haq. The phrase is understood to mean “Anger for the truth” or “Rage for the sake of justice,” reflecting what officials describe as a forceful response to the assault.
Over the past two decades, most operations carried out by Pakistan’s military have been named after Arabic or religious terminology, in part to give the campaigns a moral or ideological context. However, during this period, Pakistan also carried out an operation whose name was taken from English.
Read: US says it supports Pakistan’s ‘right to defend itself’ against Afghan Taliban
On June 15, 2014, in North Waziristan, a tribal region bordering Afghanistan, the army launched Operation Zarb-e-Azb against militants. The Arabic term combines “Zarb” (blow) and “Azb”, referring to the sword of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), and together they mean “the blow of the sword of truth”.
In February 2017, Pakistan Army carried out nationwide search operations in all four provinces to eliminate terrorism and arrested several people under Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, which means rejection or elimination of disorder and terrorism.
During tensions between Pakistan and India in 2019, Pakistan announced Operation Swift Retort in response to Indian airstrikes, during which Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman was also captured. The English name combines “swift” (fast) and “retort” (response), which together means a quick response.
The latest operation underscores Pakistan’s determination to secure its western border while minimizing civilian casualties.
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Pakistan said on Saturday its forces had killed 331 Taliban terrorists in a major military operation launched after what it described as unprovoked cross-border attacks from Afghanistan, as regional and global powers urged restraint amid rising tensions. The government said “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq” was launched on Thursday night following fresh clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
In a statement published on
Operation Ghazb lil Haq
Update 0900 hours February 28✅*Summary of Afghan Taliban losses*
▪️331 murdered,
▪️500+ Injured,
▪️104 Check destroyed posts,
▪️22 post captured,
▪️163 tanks and armed vehicles destroyed
▪️37 locomotives via Afg eff tgt by air– Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) February 28, 2026
Read more: Relentless reckoning for the Taliban
Tarar said Pakistani forces destroyed 104 Taliban posts, seized 22 others and disabled 163 tanks and armored personnel carriers, adding that airstrikes were carried out on 37 locations inside Afghanistan. Pakistani officials maintained that the operation targeted armed groups aligned with the Afghan Taliban, whom Islamabad accuses of carrying out repeated cross-border attacks.
