Tag: Afghanistan

Four civilians were killed after artillery and mortar fire from across the border hit a house in the Tabesta Letai area of Salarzai in Bajaur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated on Sunday.

In a post on X, Tarar wrote: “The Afghan Taliban regime deliberately targeted the civilian population through artillery/mortar fire from across the border in Tabesta Letai, Salarzai area of KP’s Bajaur district.”

He added: “Four innocent civilians have embraced shahadat (martyrdom) while one five-year-old child is seriously injured as a house was hit in this attack.”

Separately, Pakistan carried out overnight strikes in Kandahar Province, targeting “terrorist hideouts and military infrastructure” as the military continued operations against the Afghan Taliban, state-run broadcaster Pakistan Television Corporation reported on Sunday, citing security sources.

Sharing an operational update, Tarar wrote: “On night March 14/15, Pakistan Armed Forces targeted military installations including terrorist hideouts of Afghan Taliban and Fitna al-Khawarij.”

He added that in these attacks, Pakistan’s forces also destroyed technical support infrastructure and equipment storage facility, in Kandahar, that was being used by Afghan Taliban and terrorists against innocent Pakistani civilians.

Tarar further stated: “A tunnel that housed technical equipment of Afghan Taliban and Fitna al-Khawarij was also destroyed in Kandahar.”

He also wrote that similarly, in Chitral Sector, a terrorist jump off point at Badini Post of Afghanistan was destroyed through ground forces.

Providing figures in the update, the minister stated that 684 Afghan Taliban personnel had been killed so far, while more than 912 had been injured.

He added that 252 posts had been destroyed, while 44 posts were captured and destroyed. According to the minister, 229 tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery guns had also been destroyed.
Tarar further wrote that “73 terrorists and terrorist support infrastructure locations across Afghanistan [have been] effectively targeted by air.”

He also stated: “Attached video shows precision engagement by Pakistan on those installations and terrorist camps which directly / indirectly support terrorism from Afghan soil. No civilian population or infrastructure was targeted as falsely propagated by Afghan regime officials and media.”

The minister also commented on the incident that took place in Bajaur, stating: “This cowardly and heinous deliberate targeting of civilians by Afghan Taliban regime in cohorts with terrorists organisation Fitna al Khawarij is not only a grevious violation of international law and basic human values but is also reflective of their deep frustration and desperation while facing heavy setbacks on multiple fronts by the armed forces of Pakistan through targeted attacks on terrorists and support infrastructures as part of operation Ghazab lil-Haq.”

Pakistan and India exchanged sharp remarks at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) during a debate on Afghanistan, with both sides raising concerns over cross-border attacks and terrorism.

India’s Permanent Representative Parvathaneni Harish said that his country “reiterates UNSG’s deep concern at civilian casualties caused by cross-border violence and strongly condemns airstrikes which are flagrant violations of international law, UN Charter and state sovereignty.” 

He also expressed “grave concern on ‘trade and transit terrorism’” and said “these vulnerabilities of Land-Locked Developing Countries should not be weaponised”.

Naseer Ahmad Faiq, Chargé d’affaires ad interim of Afghanistan’s Permanent Mission to the UN, addressed the council. He highlighted civilian casualties in the Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict and emphasised the need to counter terrorism, but did not mention Al Qaeda, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or other militant groups.

Responding to the statements, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said he felt compelled to take the floor after hearing remarks from India and Afghanistan.

Ahmad said that given “India’s animosity towards Pakistan and the sole objective of its Afghan policy being to destabilise Pakistan, including by actively supporting and sponsoring terrorist groups, operating from Afghan soil, such as TTP and BLA,” India’s remarks were expected.

He noted that the Indian representative spoke about civilian casualties and border clashes but “had not a word about the terrorist threat emanating from Afghanistan, which has targeted Pakistan and which many Council members have highlighted in their statements.” 

“But there is a reason for that. It is India’s complicity in all of this,” Ahmad said, adding that Pakistan had provided “irrefutable evidence of India’s collusion with terrorist groups that are engaged in orchestrating violent attacks against Pakistan”.

He said, “One can sense India’s pain in seeing its heavy investment in the Afghan terrorist franchise going to waste as a result of Pakistan’s precise and effective action against terrorist camps and support bases inside Afghanistan.”

Ahmad described India as “a serial violator of international law”, accusing it of illegally occupying territory, violating the UN Charter and UNSC resolutions, carrying out state terrorism in India-occupied Kashmir, marginalising minorities, and using disinformation as state policy.

On Faiq, Ahmad said, “The so-called representative of Afghanistan, who in fact does not represent anyone but himself, must not abuse this forum to pursue his personal agenda.” 

He added that Faiq, “sequestered in New York”, was “completely cut off from ground realities” and had “chosen to selectively comment on some aspects of the situation, particularly with reference to Pakistan”. “Therefore, the value and credibility of his remarks are in serious doubt,” he said.

Ahmad emphasised that Pakistan’s legitimate counter-terrorism operations are not directed against the brotherly people of Afghanistan, and are only meant to neutralise the persistent threat of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil. He added that these actions were in full conformity with the right to self-defence and international humanitarian law.

He said Faiq “had nothing to say about cross-border terrorism from Afghanistan that is so heavily impacting Pakistan in terms of casualties among civilians, among our armed forces, law enforcement agencies and infrastructure”.

Ahmad further said that while India had “always played the role of a spoiler in Afghanistan,” Pakistan had “engaged responsibly in promoting peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan”.

He added that these objectives could only be achieved if the Taliban authorities fulfilled their commitments on counter-terrorism, inclusive governance, and the rights of Afghan women and girls.

 Ahmad urged India to “cease and desist from its policy of stoking terrorism inside Pakistan from Afghan soil, now together with their newfound friends in the Taliban regime”, adding that Pakistan would not allow “their sabotage and subversion from Afghan soil to nourish and harm Pakistan”.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that Afghanistan has always supported terrorism, adding that placing further trust in the Afghan government would be a risk.

In a conversation with a private media channel, Asif said that Pakistan had made efforts to resolve issues with Afghanistan through dialogue but the pattern of the Kabul government made it difficult to rely on it. He said trusting the authorities in Kabul would be a major risk and that their conduct had not been acceptable in the past.

Meanwhile, China has stepped in diplomatically to reduce tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan as cross-border hostilities continue. 

According to a statement from Afghanistan’s foreign ministry, China’s special envoy for Afghanistan Yue Xiaoyong visited Kabul on Sunday and met acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

During the meeting, the Chinese envoy urged both sides to resolve disputes through dialogue and stressed the importance of preventing escalation for regional stability. The statement said Beijing remained in contact with both Kabul and Islamabad and supported resolving issues through diplomatic channels.

In North Waziristan, a child was killed and four people were injured after a mortar shell allegedly fired from the Afghan side landed in a residential area during an exchange of fire near the border on Sunday. Police said the incident took place around 7:30pm in the Ghulam Khan area when firing erupted between both sides.

Reports quoted police sources as saying that the mortar shell landed in the village of Golakhel and exploded in a residential locality. A minor died at the scene while four people sustained injuries. Residents shifted the injured to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Miranshah where they were receiving treatment.

Separately, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has said that 583 Afghan Taliban operatives had been killed and more than 795 injured during the ongoing Operation Ghazab lil-Haq launched in response to what Islamabad described as actions from across the Afghan border.

Providing an update at 4pm on Sunday, Tarar confirmed that security forces had destroyed 242 checkposts and captured and destroyed 38 others during the operation. He said 213 tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery guns had also been destroyed.

The minister added that 64 locations across Afghanistan had been targeted in air strikes as part of the campaign.

Separately, the Pakistan Army foiled an infiltration attempt near the Chaman sector along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, according to security sources cited by Radio Pakistan. Officials said a group of three to four militants attempted to breach the border fence but troops responded and targeted the group as they tried to cut the barrier.

During the exchange of fire, one militant was killed while the others fled in injured condition. Security officials said forces recovered four to five improvised explosive devices and fence-cutting equipment from the site.

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.

As Pakistan continues with Operation Ghazal lil-Haq in response to cross-border terror attacks from Afghanistan, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has shared an update, revealing that as of Tuesday evening, 464 Afghan Taliban fighters had been killed and over 665 were injured. 

In a statement, he said that 188 check posts had so far been destroyed, 31 posts captured, 192 tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery guns destroyed, and 56 locations inside Afghanistan effectively targeted in airstrikes.

Meanwhile, reports quoted security sources as saying that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had also also struck the Bagram airbase.

Citing a report issued by the Afghan defence ministry, it was claimed by media outlets that Black Hawk helicopters, a Hercules cargo aircraft, a Tucano aircraft, armoured vehicles and other military equipment were destroyed in the strike.

It may be noted that the escalation follows months of clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Earlier, Pakistan conducted airstrikes inside Afghanistan, targeting camps linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State Khorasan after a series of attacks inside Pakistan, including a suicide bombing in Islamabad. Security officials said more than 80 militants were killed during said strikes.

The strikes were followed by attacks along the border from Afghan territory, prompting further exchanges and the launch of the ongoing operation.