ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan’s armed forces have intensified cross-border operations in Afghanistan under Operation Ghazab Lil Haq, targeting terrorist infrastructure linked to the Afghan Taliban and Fitna al-Khwarij, security sources said on Sunday.
The operation, launched on February 26 in response to repeated attacks originating from Afghan territory, saw Pakistani forces strike multiple locations in Kandahar province during the night between March 14 and 15.
Terrorist hideouts, military installations, equipment storage facilities, and technical support centres of the Afghan Taliban, used to facilitate attacks against Pakistani civilians by the Fitna al-Khwarija term used for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistanwere destroyed.
“Last night, forces targeted a technical support centre and a cache of weapons in Kandahar,” a security source said. “A highly significant underground tunnel used to store technical equipment for militant activities was destroyed, along with another tunnel housing additional weapons.”
In the Chitral sector, according to security sources, ground forces also destroyed a terrorist launch point near the Badani post along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border using small and heavy arms, supplemented by quadcopters.
The sources reported that Operation Ghazab Lil Haq has inflicted heavy losses on terrorists. So far, they added, 684 Afghan Taliban operatives have been killed, more than 912 injured, while 252 posts have been destroyed and 44 captured and demolished.
Furthermore, a total of 229 tanks, armoured vehicles, and artillery pieces were destroyed, while 73 locations linked to terrorist infrastructure were effectively targeted in aerial strikes, the sources added.
Operation Ghazab Lil Haq aims to dismantle terrorist camps, logistical hubs, and infrastructure facilitating cross-border attacks, and officials said the campaign will continue until all objectives are achieved.
Security officials emphasised that only installations directly or indirectly supporting terrorist activities were being targeted. The Information Ministry dismissed claims by the Kabul regime that civilians were being targeted.
Drones neutralised
The latest strikes came as the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said drones launched from Afghanistan to target Pakistani cities were intercepted before reaching their intended targets. It added that debris from the intercepted devices injured some civilians.
“On 13 March 2026, Afghan Taliban launched a few rudimentary drones to harass the brave people of Pakistan,” the military’s media wing said, adding that the drones were neutralised using a combination of electronic and kinetic countermeasures.
“The drones were intercepted through soft and hard kills and did not reach their intended targets,” it said. “The debris from these drones resulted in injuries to two children in Quetta and one civilian each in Kohat and Rawalpindi,” the ISPR added.
The Information Ministry also dismissed the baseless “propaganda and fabricated claims” by the Afghan Taliban’s so-called Ministry of Defence regarding “a successful drone attack” in Wana, South Waziristan.
The ministry stated that a drone was neutralised over South Waziristan using soft-kill technology, causing no damage and leaving military installations and infrastructure unharmed. It added that the Taliban have a history of making misleading statements.
The ministry cited previous Afghan claims, including reports of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) planes being shot down and pilots captured, which were proven false. “Information circulating on social media contradicts the facts. Truth always prevails over lies and propaganda.”
Four killed in Bajaur
Meanwhile, four members of the same family were killed and another injured after a mortar shell, reportedly fired from across the Afghan border, landed on a house in the border area of Liti, Salarzai Tehsil, Bajaur district, police said.
Officials said the shell struck a house, killing four brothers on the spot. The deceased were identified as Sajid, Ayaz, Riaz, and Muaz. One person sustained serious injuries in the incident and was shifted to a nearby hospital.
(WITH INPUT FROM OUR BAJAUR CORRESPONDENT HANIFULLAH)
