ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has killed at least 133 Afghan Taliban fighters and wounded more than 200 others in a large-scale retaliatory military operation after unprovoked cross-border firing, as Islamabad sharply escalated its response to open aggression along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border.
The counteroffensive, formally named “Operation Ghazab lil Haq” (Wrath for the Truth), involves multiple waves of precision air and ground strikes targeting Taliban military installations in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia, officials said early Friday.
In an update posted on X at 3:45 am, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistani counterstrikes inside Afghanistan were continuing and had inflicted “heavy and decisive losses” on Taliban forces.
According to the minister, 27 Afghan Taliban posts have been destroyed and nine captured so far. He said the strikes eliminated two corps headquarters, three brigade headquarters, three battalion headquarters, and two sector headquarters, along with two ammunition depots and a logistics base.
More than 80 tanks, artillery guns, and armored personnel carriers were also destroyed, Tarar said, calling the action Pakistan’s “immediate and effective response” to Taliban aggression.
“Unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban regime along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border is being and will continue to be responded to in a strong and effective manner,” Tarar said earlier while speaking to Pakistan TV.
He also slammed the Afghan Taliban regime for spreading false narratives after suffering battlefield losses, saying fabricated claims were being circulated through Afghan and Indian social media accounts to mislead the public.
Pakistan’s armed forces, he said, remain unfazed by such propaganda and fully focused on defending national security.
‘Open war’
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif described the situation as having crossed a critical threshold, declaring what he termed an “open war” with the Taliban government.
“Our patience has reached its limit. Now it is open war between you and us,” Asif said in a post on X on Friday.
Separately, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned Taliban attempts to target civilian populations under the cover of darkness.
“The cowardly enemy struck at night and made a reprehensible attempt to target innocent civilians,” Naqvi said. “This aggression is intolerable. By launching this attack, the Afghan Taliban have made a grave mistake, and they will face serious consequences.”
Naqvi said Pakistan’s armed forces were on high alert at all times and that the nation stood “shoulder to shoulder” with them. “We will not allow any harm to come to our security,” he said.
The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged both sides to protect civilians in accordance with international law and to seek a diplomatic path to de-escalation, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s military released video footage showing military vehicles moving at night, accompanied by heavy gunfire. The footage could not be independently verified.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been elevated for months, marked by deadly border clashes in October last year that killed dozens of soldiers, civilians, and Taliban fighters. Although a Qatari-mediated ceasefire largely held, sporadic exchanges of fire continued, and multiple rounds of peace talks in November failed to produce a formal agreement.
Last Sunday, Pakistan also carried out strikes along the border, saying it had killed at least 70 terrorists involved in cross-border attacks.
Prime minister’s assurance
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a statement issued early Friday, said Pakistan’s armed forces are fully prepared to protect the country’s security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
Under the leadership of Chief of Defense Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, the prime minister said, the armed forces are operating with high professionalism, advanced training, and effective defense strategies.
“There will be no compromise on the integrity of the homeland, and a prompt and effective response will be given to every aggression,” Sharif said, adding that Pakistan has always promoted peace but will tolerate no threat to its borders or national security.
Officials said Operation Ghazab lil Haq remains ongoing, with Pakistan’s security forces maintaining a high state of readiness as the situation along the western border continues to evolve.
As of 0800 hrs on 27 Feb. 2026, Pakistani forces destroyed an Afghan Taliban logistics base in Kandahar, followed by the demolition of the Taliban’s command headquarters in the city at 0830 hrs, according to security sources.
Meanwhile, in South Waziristan, Pakistan has taken control of five Afghan military posts in the Paktia region, raising the Pakistani flag over them.
These posts are located opposite Shawal, Angoor Ada, and Zarmelan, with the Afghan terminal at Angoor Ada also being destroyed in the operation.
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