Islamabad

Pakistan carried out overnight airstrikes targeting Afghan Taliban positions in Kabul and Nangarhar, hitting what it described as military facilities and militant infrastructure.

According to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, a total of 684 Afghan Taliban fighters have been killed so far, with 912 others injured. He said 252 Taliban posts were destroyed, while 44 were first seized and later demolished. Additionally, 229 tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery pieces were reportedly taken out.

Officials stated that around 73 militant-linked locations across Afghanistan were struck in the latest phase of operations.

The strikes are part of “Operation Ghazab lil Haq,” launched on February 26, which Pakistan says was initiated in response to cross-border attacks along the 2,600-km frontier.

On the night of March 16, Pakistani forces reportedly targeted key installations in Kabul and Nangarhar, including facilities used for storing ammunition and technical equipment linked to the Afghan Taliban and what authorities referred to as “Fitna al-Khawarij,” a term used by the state for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said secondary explosions from ammunition storage sites contradicted claims made by opposing sources. It also dismissed allegations from the Taliban that civilians were harmed, asserting that the strikes were conducted with precision to avoid collateral damage.

The ministry further alleged that reports describing the targeted locations as civilian facilities were misleading and aimed at obscuring support for cross-border militancy.

Security officials said that in Nangarhar province, four separate Taliban-linked sites were struck, destroying logistics hubs, ammunition depots and technical infrastructure. They added that a drone assembly facility, a command centre for drone operations, and weapons stockpiles were also hit in both Kabul and Nangarhar.

Sources claimed that drones were being assembled at these facilities using components reportedly manufactured in Israel.

In total, six targets were successfully engaged in Kabul and Nangarhar, with reports indicating multiple militant casualties.

Earlier operations were also carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram region, where Pakistani forces destroyed key hideouts linked to Afghan Taliban fighters and TTP elements. Several militants were reportedly killed, while others fled.

READ MORE: JK bureaucrat Anissa Nabi promotes fitness among women, youth

In the Bajaur sector along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, forces used guided missiles to strike and destroy additional Taliban positions, according to security sources.