By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan’s security sources said on Wednesday it is continuing large-scale cross-border and border-area operations under “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq,” targeting what it describes as militant networks operating along the Pakistan–Afghanistan frontier.

According to security sources, Pakistani forces conducted coordinated actions during the night of 3–4 March using heavy weaponry against what they termed hideouts of the Afghan Taliban and affiliated groups, including TTP and BLA, which are officially known as Fitna al Khwarij and Fitna al Hindustan, in multiple locations.

The sources said approximately 50 sites were targeted, particularly in the Qilla Saifullah district of Balochistan, including the Chaman, Sambaza, Ghadwana, Jani, and Ghaznali sectors.

Sources said these areas were being used to facilitate cross-border attacks into Pakistani territory.

In a separate update focused on the Chaman sector, security sources stated that one suspected militant was killed and three others were captured in an injured condition during a clearance operation.

The security sources said the operation was conducted based on intelligence inputs and that forces encircled the area before securing it. Interrogations of the detained individuals are ongoing, according to officials.

Pakistan’s Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, later shared a broader operational summary, claiming significant militant losses.

According to figures released by him, 481 fighters were killed, more than 696 were injured, 226 checkpoints were destroyed, 35 posts captured, and 198 tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery pieces destroyed across 56 targeted locations. 

The Pakistani military maintains that the operation will continue until what it describes as “predetermined objectives” are fully achieved, emphasizing its commitment to safeguarding national sovereignty and protecting civilians from cross-border violence.

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have escalated in recent months over cross-border militant activity. Islamabad has repeatedly accused TTP and BLA terrorists operating from Afghan territory of launching attacks inside Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

The Afghan Taliban, who have governed Afghanistan since 2021, have previously rejected similar accusations, calling them unfounded.

However, the UN Security Council recents reports confirmed the presence of terrorist groups inside Afghanistan operating with the support of the Afghan Taliban.

“Operation Ghazab Lil Haq” appears to mark one of the most expansive publicly acknowledged military campaigns by Pakistan along the western frontier in recent years.