Pakistan’s military said on Friday it had killed 274 members of the Afghan Taliban regime and destroyed 115 tanks, armoured and artillery vehicles, as well as 73 border posts in a major cross-border operation following escalating clashes along the frontier.
Addressing a press conference, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had been briefed on the operation, named “Operation Ghazab lil-Haq”, shortly before the media address.
“The purpose of the briefing was to inform the prime minister in detail about Operation Ghazab lil-Haq,” Chaudhry said.
He said Pakistan carried out strikes on the night of February 21–22, targeting what he described as militant hideouts near the Afghan border after Afghan Taliban forces initiated firing across 53 locations in 15 sectors along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
“Wherever attacks were launched from, Pakistan responded in a manner the world has seen,” he said, accusing the Afghan Taliban regime of backing militants involved in attacks inside Pakistan.
According to the military spokesperson, 18 Taliban posts are now under Pakistan’s control, while more than 400 Taliban personnel were wounded in the fighting.
Chaudhry said Pakistani forces targeted 22 locations linked to what he called “Fitna al-Hindustan” and “Fitna al-Khawarij”, striking positions in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia with precision. He added that air strikes were carried out at 22 locations in Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, Nangarhar and Khost.
Among the targets were an infantry brigade headquarters in Kabul and a logistics brigade headquarters in Kandahar, he said.
Militant hideouts and weapons depots were destroyed, and gun positions and posts used in cross-border fire were specifically targeted.
“Terrorists fled, leaving behind the bodies of their accomplices,” Chaudhry said.
He denied allegations that civilians had been targeted, calling such claims “false propaganda”. “Pakistan’s armed forces acted professionally and only engaged military targets,” he said.
The ISPR chief said 12 Pakistani soldiers were martyred in the operation, 27 were wounded and one was missing.
“Our effective response reflects the full vigilance of the armed forces,” he said, adding that the military remains ready for immediate and effective retaliation against any further aggression.
