29 terrorists killed in calibrated strikes along Pak-Afghan border, says Tarar

Security forces carried out precision strikes on terrorist camps and safe havens belonging to the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Fitna al-Khawarij in Afghanistan's Paktia, Paktika and Kunar provinces. The strikes were conducted under Operation Ghazab Lil Haq on the night of June 28-29, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Monday.

In a post on X, Tarar said the strikes eliminated terrorists and destroyed weapons and ammunition stockpiles.

In a statement on Sunday, Tarar said that security forces continued Operation Ghazab Lil Haq after a series of terrorist attacks in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), Balochistan, and on a Sindh Rangers camp in Karachi.

Two days ago, security forces foiled a terrorist attack on a Sindh Rangers camp in Karachi's Gulistan-e-Jauhar area. Three Rangers personnel were martyred and four others were injured during the assault, while three terrorists were killed and another, identified as an Afghan national, was captured in an injured condition. The military attributed the attack to Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and vowed to continue operations against those responsible.

Tarar's statement on Sunday stated that security forces first conducted an intelligence-based ground operation near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Bajaur district on June 28, killing four militants, including alleged high-value commander Khan Farosh alias Zabal. Several other terrorists were injured.

Read: Captured terrorist lifts lid on cross-border plot

It added that the operation was followed by precision strikes on three terrorist targets in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar during the night of June 28-29. According to Tarar, 25 terrorists were killed in those strikes, bringing the total number of militants killed during the operation to 29. The statement also noted that large quantities of weapons and ammunition stored at the targeted camps and hideouts were destroyed.

"Pakistan has always strived to maintain peace and stability in the region, but at the same time shall not compromise on the safety and security of our citizens, which remains our top priority," Tarar said. He added that Pakistan's counterterrorism campaign under the Azm-e-Istehkam strategy would continue "at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country."

Fitna al-Khawarij is the state-designated term for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar is one of the group's breakaway factions.

Read More: EU, UK envoys back Pakistan in fight against TTP

Fighting ​between Pakistan and Afghanistan started in October, ⁠killing scores on both sides, with Afghans taking the brunt. Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of harbouring ⁠militants ​who launch attacks in Pakistan, ​although Kabul denies this, calling the militancy Islamabad's domestic problem.

Operation Ghazab Lil Haq was launched around the end of February following renewed clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, after Afghan Taliban forces fired on multiple locations, prompting swift military retaliation by Pakistan.

The clashes intensified after Afghanistan launched a border offensive in response to Pakistani air strikes targeting terrorist positions. The two sides had agreed to a week-long ceasefire on the eve of Eidul Fitr on March 18 following requests from Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Pakistan in April put forth three core demands to the Afghan Taliban during peace talks in Urumqi, China, including Kabul formally declaring the TTP a terrorist organisation, dismantling its infrastructure, and providing verifiable proof of the action. The demands form the basis of Pakistan's negotiating position, which sources say has hardened amid persistent security concerns.

In the most recent development, Pakistan carried out “precision strikes” along the border targeting terrorist hideouts, killing 26 Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists in response to recent terrorist attacks in the country.