Pakistan’s Strong Response to Cross-Border Aggression
Pakistan has taken decisive action in response to unprovoked aggression by the Afghan Taliban and Indian-sponsored Fitna al Khawarij along the Pak-Afghan border. This incident, which occurred late Saturday night, resulted in the deaths of 200 Afghan soldiers, including affiliated terrorists, and the capture of 21 Afghan security posts. Security sources confirmed these developments on Sunday.
The retaliatory strikes were a direct response to the unprovoked gunfire from Afghan Taliban and Fitnaul Khwaraj targeting several Pakistani border posts, including those in Angoor Adda, Bajaur, and Kurram. The actions taken by the Afghan side were aimed at destabilizing the border areas to facilitate terrorism, furthering the nefarious designs of Indian-sponsored groups.
Additional cross-border attacks were reported in Dir, Chitral, Baramcha, and other border areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Armed Forces of Pakistan exercised their right of self-defense, repelling the assault decisively along the border and inflicting heavy casualties on Taliban forces and affiliated Khwarjis.
Precision Strikes and Military Operations
Precision fires and strikes, as well as physical raids, were directed against Taliban camps and posts, terrorist training facilities, and support networks operating from Afghan territory. These operations targeted elements linked to Fitna al Khwarij (FAK), Fitna al Hindustan (FAH), and ISKP/ Daesh.
Key Afghan military posts in Kurram, Jandosar, and Shahidan were destroyed. In the Kharlachi sector, video footage confirmed the destruction of several Taliban posts and the surrender of some Afghan militants. In Chagai, the Pakistan Army struck hostile checkpoints, while in Brabcha, the Taliban’s Second Battalion headquarters was razed to ground. The Ghaznali headquarters in the Nushki sector was also destroyed, killing dozens of militants and TTP terrorists.
As a result of these operations, multiple Taliban locations were destroyed along the border. 21 hostile positions on the Afghan side of the border were briefly captured, and multiple terrorist training camps used to plan and facilitate attacks against Pakistan were rendered inoperative.
Captures and Symbolic Actions
The Pakistan troops raised the national flag over a captured Afghan post in Angoor Adda, while another post in the Zhob sector was seized. A Humvee vehicle was destroyed in the operation. All possible measures were taken to avoid collateral damage and protect civilian lives, according to the ISPR statement.
Security sources mentioned that the Durrani camps I and II, reportedly used as launchpads for cross-border raids, were hit with precision fire, killing at least 50 militants. The Taliban’s Manojaba Battalion headquarters was also wiped out.
During the overnight skirmishes, 23 brave sons of Pakistan embraced martyrdom while defending the territorial integrity of the country, and 29 soldiers were injured. According to credible intelligence estimates and damage assessment, more than 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists have been neutralized, with the number of injured being much higher.
Commitment to National Security
The Armed Forces of Pakistan remain ever ready to protect the territorial integrity, life, and property of the people of Pakistan. ‘Our resolve to defend Pakistan’s territorial integrity and to defeat those who threaten our security is unwavering,’ the ISPR statement said.
While the people of Pakistan prefer constructive diplomacy and dialogue over violence and belligerence, they will not tolerate the treacherous use of Afghan soil for terrorism against Pakistan. ‘We have noted with concern that this serious provocation has occurred during the visit of Taliban Foreign Minister to India – the biggest sponsor of terrorism in the region,’ the statement said.
In the interest of regional peace and security, it added, Pakistan calls upon the Taliban Government to take immediate and verifiable actions to neutralize the terrorist groups, inter alia, FAK, FAH, and ISKP/ Daesh operating from their territory. Otherwise, Pakistan will continue to exercise its right to defend its people by persistent neutralization of terror targets, ISPR warned.
Political Statements and Regional Implications
Pakistan army made it clear that the Taliban government should shun any ill-begotten notions and prioritize the wellbeing, peace, prosperity, and development of Afghan people over irresponsible sabre-rattling. Saturday night’s episode vindicates Pakistan’s long-standing position that the Taliban government is actively facilitating the terrorists.
If the Taliban government continues to sponsor terrorist outfits, in cohorts with India, for shortsighted objectives of destabilizing the region, the people and the state of Pakistan will not rest until the menace of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan is completely eliminated, ISPR warned.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Office in Islamabad said that Pakistan is deeply concerned at the unwarranted aggression by the Afghan Taliban, Fitna al-Khawarij, and Fitna al-Hindustan along the border. ‘Such unprovoked actions aimed at destabilising the Pak-Afghan border belie the overall spirit of peaceful neighbourhood and cooperative relations between the two brotherly countries,’ the Foreign Office said.
Pakistan, it said, exercising its right of self-defence, not only effectively repulsed the assaults all along the border but also inflicted heavy losses on Taliban forces and affiliated Khwarjis, in terms of men, material, and infrastructure. ‘These infrastructures were used to plan and facilitate terrorist attacks against Pakistan. In our targeted and precise response, all possible measures were taken to prevent any collateral damage and protect civilians.’
Leadership Reaffirms Commitment
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have reaffirmed that Pakistan is firmly committed to protecting its national interests, regional sovereignty, and security. In his separate statement, the president said Pakistan would never accept any controversial or misleading stance on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. ‘India’s illegal claims regarding Kashmir are in direct violation of international law and United Nations resolutions,’ President Secretariat Press Wing, in a press release, quoted the president as saying.
President Zardari expressed regret over the Afghan leadership turning its back on the oppressed people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, calling it an injustice to both history and the Muslim Ummah. He emphasized that terrorist attacks originating from Afghan soil, carried out by the Khwarij had been well-documented by UN reports.
Continued Monitoring and Defensive Measures
The Prime Minister also strongly condemned Afghanistan’s provocations in Pakistan’s border areas, expressing deep concern over the hostile actions and reaffirming that there will be no compromise on Pakistan’s defense. He paid rich tribute to the Pakistan Army for its strong and effective response to Afghanistan’s aggression. ‘We are proud of the professional excellence of our armed forces,’ he said.
Shehbaz Sharif praised the bold leadership of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, under whose command the Pakistan Army not only gave a powerful response to Afghan aggression but also destroyed several of their posts, forcing them to retreat. ‘There will be no compromise on Pakistan’s defense, and every act of provocation will be met with a strong and effective response,’ the Prime Minister reaffirmed.
He said the Pakistan Army has always given a crushing reply to every form of external aggression and emphasized that the entire nation stands firmly with Pakistan’s security forces. The Prime Minister added that Pakistan has repeatedly provided Afghanistan with information regarding terrorist elements such as Fitna-tul-Khawarij and Fitna-tul-Hindustan, who are using Afghan soil to launch attacks against Pakistan.
‘Terrorist organizations are being supported by certain elements within Afghanistan,’ he stated, expressing hope that the Afghan interim government will ensure its territory is not used by terrorist elements against Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi condemned the Afghan aggression, declaring it a clear violation of international law, stating that Pakistan’s response proved such provocations would be met with force. He said Afghanistan is playing a dangerous game of fire and blood, allegedly with Indian support. The people of Pakistan stand like a reinforced wall with the armed forces,’ he said.
Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have grown in recent months, with Pakistan repeatedly calling on Afghanistan’s interim government to act against terrorist groups operating from its soil, particularly the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, Pakistan has witnessed a surge in cross-border attacks, especially in KP and Balochistan. The Afghan Govt has failed to stop the infiltration of Fitnaul Khwarij and secure the border, complicating security and diplomatic relations.
Following the border fighting, Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid urged Pakistan to ‘desist from using force as such actions will have negative consequences’. Addressing a press conference in Kabul, Mujahid alleged that ‘certain elements within the Pakistani security establishment want to destabilise Afghanistan’. He further warned that ‘Kabul possessed weapons to respond’, adding that the Afghanistan Islamic Emirate had made ‘efforts to resolve issues with Pakistan’.
