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Pakistan says 641 Afghan Taliban killed as border conflict intensifies

By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Wednesday claimed that over 640 Afghan Taliban and TTP militants have been killed during the ongoing operation.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has released updated casualty figures from Operation Ghazab lil Haq, claiming 641 Afghan Taliban fighters killed and 243 check posts destroyed as cross-border hostilities between the two neighbors enter their third week.

According to Tarar, 885 Taliban were injured, 42 border posts were captured by Pakistani forces, while 219 tanks and artillery guns were destroyed, and 65 air strikes were carried out to hit militants' locations across the border.

The figures mark a significant escalation from previous updates, suggesting intensified military operations along the border region.

Since the Taliban captured Kabul in 2021, ties have soured as TTP attacks inside Pakistan have increased. Islamabad says TTP militants, along with their families, are living in Afghanistan’s Kunar, Nuristan, Nangarhar, Khost, Paktia, and Paktika provinces, and enjoy freedom of movement and support from the Afghan Taliban.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif declared “open war” on February 27, stating: “Our patience has run out. Now it is open war between us and you.”

Pakistan maintains that its operations target only militant infrastructure.

Afghanistan has called for dialogue, but Pakistan has rejected talks, with Tarar saying the operation will continue until its objectives are met.