A Pakistani soldier at 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 civilian harm.
Meaning behind the name
During the Pak-Afghan conflict, Pakistan named the latest military action Operation Ghazab Lil Haq. The phrase is understood to mean “Wrath for the Truth” or “Fury for the sake of justice,” reflecting what officials describe as a forceful response to aggression.
Over the past two decades, most operations conducted by the Pakistan Army have been named after Arabic or religious terminology, partly to provide the campaigns with 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 military launched Operation Zarb-e-Azb against militants. The Arabic term combines “Zarb” (strike) and “Azb,” referring to the sword of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), collectively meaning “the strike of the sword of truth.”
In February 2017, the Pakistan Army conducted nationwide search operations across all four provinces to eliminate terrorism and detained several individuals under Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, which means the rejection or elimination of disorder and terrorism.
During Pak-India tensions 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), together meaning a rapid response.
The latest operation underscores Pakistan’s resolve to secure its western frontier while minimising civilian casualties.
Current picture
Pakistan said on Saturday that 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 late Thursday following renewed clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
In a statement posted on X, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that as of 9am Saturday, at least 331 Afghan Taliban, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters and other militants had been killed, with more than 500 wounded.
Operation Ghazb lil Haq
Update 0900 hours 28 Feb✅*Summary of Afg Taliban losses*
▪️331 Killed,
▪️500 + Injured,
▪️104 Check posts destroyed,
▪️22 Post Captured,
▪️163 Tanks and Armed vehs Destroyed
▪️37 Locs across Afg eff tgt by air— Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) February 28, 2026
Read More: Relentless reckoning for Taliban
Tarar said Pakistani forces destroyed 104 Taliban posts, seized 22 others and disabled 163 tanks and armoured personnel carriers, adding that air strikes were carried out at 37 locations inside Afghanistan. Pakistani officials maintained the operation was aimed at armed groups aligned with the Afghan Taliban, whom Islamabad accuses of mounting repeated cross-border attacks.
