Info minister says 67 Afghan Taliban killed as security forces repulse attacks
- Says one soldier was martyred, five others wounded in the clashes
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday confirmed that Pakistan’s security forces successfully repelled a series of large-scale attacks by the Afghan Taliban across Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa overnight.
In a operational update, the minister detailed the progress of ‘Operation Ghazb lil Haq’, revealing that at least 67 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed during the skirmishes. One soldier was martyred and five others wounded in the clashes, he added.
In Northern Balochistan, the Afghan Taliban launched physical assaults on 16 different locations across the Qilla Saifullah, Noshki, and Chaman districts. Simultaneously, Pakistani troops were engaged in fire raids at an additional 25 locations.
The minister confirmed that all attacks were effectively repulsed, resulting in 27 Afghan Taliban fatalities and numerous injuries. One soldier from the Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan North embraced martyrdom while defending the motherland, and five others sustained injuries, he maintained.
READ MORE: Operation Ghazb-lil-Haq: Information minister says 415 Afghan Taliban personnel killed
The situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saw 12 fire raids and one attempted physical assault by the Afghan Taliban. Security forces successfully defended all positions without any loss of life on the Pakistani side.
Overnight operations in the province resulted in the killing of 40 Afghan Taliban personnel.
Minister Tarar stated that follow-up operations remain underway to secure the affected areas. A more detailed briefing regarding the ongoing military response is expected to be released later today.
Amid clashes with Taliban forces, Pakistan’s strikes last week hit Taliban military installations and posts, including in Kabul and Kandahar, in one of the deepest Pakistani incursions into its western neighbour in years, officials said.
Islamabad accuses the Taliban of harbouring Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists, who it claims are waging terrorism inside Pakistan, a charge the Taliban denies. Pakistan described its actions as a response to cross-border assaults, while Kabul denounced them as a breach of its sovereignty, saying it remained open to dialogue but warned any wider conflict would result in serious consequences. The fighting has raised the risk of a protracted conflict along the rugged 2,600-km (1,615-mile) frontier.