Op Ghazab Lil Haq to continue until Taliban halt support for terrorists: state media

A senior Pakistani security official said on Monday that “Operation Ghazab Lil-Haq” would continue until the Afghan Taliban government provided a guarantee that it would stop facilitating terrorist groups targeting Pakistan, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.

“’Operation Ghazab Lil-Haq’ will continue until the Afghan Taliban government provides verifiable assurances to Pakistan that it will stop facilitating Fitna al-Khwarij and Fitna al-Hindustan,” the official told reporters.

‘Operation Ghazab-Lil-Haq‘ was launched late on Thursday after renewed clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, when Afghan Taliban forces fired on multiple locations, prompting swift military retaliation. Pakistani security forces killed 435 Afghan Taliban combatants and destroyed 188 tanks and vehicles during the operation. More than 630 Afghan operatives were injured, 188 tanks and armoured vehicles were destroyed, 31 Afghan posts were captured, and 51 locations across Afghanistan were successfully targeted in air strikes.

The official said the Afghan Taliban “will have to decide whether they stand with Pakistan or with the terrorist groups operating from their soil”.

The duration of the operation would depend entirely on actions taken by the Afghan Taliban authorities, he added, stressing that Pakistan was “in no hurry to conclude the operation”.

The official accused the Afghan Taliban government of patronising several terrorist groups “as proxy master”, alleging that they were sabotaging regional peace.

He said the Taliban were promoting a “war economy under the guise of a distorted religious ideology, whose real motive is vested interests and financial gains”.

According to the official, Pakistan was targeting terrorist safe havens and facilitators in Afghanistan, describing them as legitimate targets under the right of self-defence.

He stressed that operations were not indiscriminate and were limited to specific infrastructure used to support militant groups.

So far, the official said more than 180 check posts had been destroyed and over 30 key locations taken under control, which he said were being used as launch pads by terrorists.

The official said Pakistan’s actions had received a positive response from “oppressed Afghan communities and minorities”.

He clarified that Pakistan has “nothing to do with any change of government in Afghanistan”, calling it an internal matter for the Afghan people.

On Iran, the official said Pakistan was pursuing a balanced policy and that Tehran had appreciated Islamabad’s stance, which he said was also supported by China and Russia.

He said Pakistan had conveyed its reservations over Iran’s targeting of “brotherly Arab countries” and reiterated that Islamabad wanted a stable and peaceful Iran.

The official dismissed suggestions that Pakistan could be the next target in the regional escalation, calling such claims “baseless and contrary to ground reality”.

Read More: 435 Afghan combatants killed, 188 tanks and vehicles destroyed in Operation Ghazab Lil Haq: Tarar

He added that Pakistan and Iran could not be considered identical in terms of military capability, foreign policy or internal conditions.

He said Pakistan remained committed to a strong foreign policy based on mutual respect and trust, and was fully capable of defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Citing what he described as “Marka e Haq” and Pakistan’s long war against terrorism, the official said the armed forces, with public support, would thwart “every nefarious plot of the enemy”.

He condemned what he called propaganda aimed at creating chaos, and emphasised that Pakistan valued its longstanding strategic relations with Saudi Arabia.

Regarding a proposed International Stabilisation Force for Gaza, he said details were yet to be finalised and any decision on Pakistan’s participation would be taken by the government after consultations.

The latest escalation in tensions between the two countries follows a series of tit-for-tat actions over the past year.

Pakistan earlier carried out air strikes targeting camps of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State Khorasan Province inside Afghanistan after a wave of attacks in Pakistan, including a suicide bombing in Islamabad.

Also Read: Pakistan launches cross-border strikes on seven terrorist camps after bombings

Islamabad has long maintained that TTP leaders operate from Afghan territory, an allegation that Kabul has repeatedly denied.

Tensions also surged after a series of explosions in Kabul on October 9 last year. Taliban forces subsequently targeted areas along Pakistan’s border, prompting Islamabad to respond with cross-border shelling. The exchanges caused casualties and infrastructure damage on both sides and led to the suspension of trade after border crossings were closed on October 12, 2025.