ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said Friday that 297 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed and more than 450 injured in retaliatory military strikes across Afghanistan, as Information Minister Attaullah Tarar denounced the Kabul administration as an “illegitimate regime” following unprovoked attacks along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
In a post on social media platform X, Tarar said the action was carried out under Operation Ghazb lil Haq and involved precision air and ground strikes on 29 locations inside Afghanistan. The information minister said 89 Taliban check posts were destroyed, 18 captured, and 135 tanks and armed vehicles eliminated during the operation.
Earlier, while addressing a press briefing, Tarar said unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban regime along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border was being and will continue to be responded to strongly and effectively.
He described Pakistan’s response as “immediate and decisive,” adding that Taliban fighters fled several positions, leaving behind weapons and bodies.
The minister said the latest fighting further exposed what he called a direct nexus between the Afghan Taliban regime and terrorist networks targeting Pakistan.
“Afghan soil is being used for training, facilitation, and launching attacks that kill our civilians and security personnel,” he said, referring to recent assaults on religious sites, judicial facilities, and Pakistani military officers.
Tarar also launched a broad attack on the Taliban’s governance, calling it “a system based on repression and the perversion of religion.”
He quoted the government’s position, saying, “The activities of the Afghan Taliban regime and Fitna al-Khawarij against Pakistan are unacceptable.”
He accused the Kabul authorities of ruling without legitimacy, denying fundamental rights and enforcing discriminatory laws against women, children, and minorities.
“This regime has nothing to do with Islam,” Tarar said. “It has imposed oppression on its own people and exported terrorism across the border.”
Tarar said Pakistan’s armed forces remain on full alert and prepared to respond to any further aggression. “Pakistan knows very well how to defend itself,” he said. “Our response will remain strong, effective, and in defense of our sovereignty.”
