Pakistani forces on Monday night continued targeting the military installations of the Afghan Taliban in Kabul and Nangarhar, with security sources saying Operation Ghazab-lil-Haq was ongoing.
Islamabad launched the military operation on Feb. 26 in response to unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban from across the border. On Monday night, per security officials, Pakistan targeted two locations in Kabul, including an ammunition storage.
Similarly, in Nangarhar, Pakistani forces targeted four Afghan Taliban military installations, as well as logistics and ammunition infrastructure located adjacent to these sites. Reportedly, a drone assembly workshop was among the sites decimated. In recent days, multiple drones have been intercepted over Islamabad and Rawalpindi, though the origin of the devices remains unclear.
Following the strikes, the Information Ministry denied a claim from the Afghan Taliban spokesperson that Pakistan had targeted a drug rehabilitation center in Kabul. The “claim of this discredited so-called spokesperson of the Taliban regime is another misreporting of facts aimed at misleading public opinion,” read a post on the ministry’s official X account.
“On the night of March 16, Pakistan precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure, including technical equipment storage and ammunition storage of Afghan Taliban and Fitna al-Khawarij in Kabul and Nangarhar that were being used against innocent Pakistani civilians,” it said, referring to the state’s term for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
“Post-strike detonation of stored ammunition being used by the master terror proxy also fully contradicts the fake claim,” it continued. “Pakistan’s targeting is precise and carefully undertaken to ensure no collateral damage is inflicted. This misreporting of facts as drug seeks rehabilitation facility seeks to stir sentiments, covering illegitimate support to cross-border terrorism. The statement is rejected being false and misleading,” it added.
In a subsequent post, the ministry questioned the claim that a 2,000-hospital was hit, noting it was located several kilometers away from Camp Phoenix, which was targeted by Pakistani forces. “Another important question also lingers, as to why would an alleged drug rehabilitation facility be co-located with lethal ammunition storage site in a military camp? This also remains unanswered,” it added.
Pakistan has been in the midst of a terror resurgence since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly urged the interim Taliban government to dismantle terrorist safe havens in Afghanistan, particularly those linked to the TTP. Officials say those appeals have been ignored, adding this has facilitated a surge in terrorism in Pakistan, particularly in border regions of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.