PAF joins fight; major ammunition depot blasted, 133 militants killed
Pakistan will take all necessary measures to ensure its territorial integrity, safety and security of its citizens, says ministry
Pakistan
By
Kiran Khan &
Waqar Satti &
Web Desk
February 26, 2026
The image shows an Afghan security forces check post located in Shawwal being targeted. — Geo News/Screengrab
Tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border escalated sharply late on Thursday as, in the latest turn of events, the Pakistan Air Force started launching strikes on Afghan targets, according to security sources, who said a major ammunition depot in Nangarhar Province had been destroyed.
Following unprovoked action along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, security forces on Thursday neutralised at least 133 personnel of the Afghan Taliban regime, while over 200 others were wounded, said a government official said on Friday.
The security forces launched operation Ghazab-lil-Haqq after the Taliban regime’s unprovoked action along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, the security sources added.
Counter-strikes continue: Zaidi
Providing an update as of 3:45am about the ongoing clashes, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson for foreign media, Mosharraf Zaidi confirmed that Pakistani counter-strikes continued targeting militant positions in Afghanistan.
According to the statement, a total of 72 Afghan Taliban militants were killed, with over 120 injured, and several frontline positions neutralised. He said 16 Taliban posts were destroyed while seven were captured.
Key installations hit included a large ammunition depot, a battalion headquarters, and a sector headquarters of the Afghan Taliban, he noted. The operation reportedly also destroyed more than 36 tanks, artillery guns, and armoured personnel carriers.
Zaidi warned that further counter-attacks would follow, reinforcing Pakistan’s resolve to respond immediately and effectively to any aggression.
In an earlier update on social media, he wrote: “Alhamdolillah, not only have no Pakistani posts been captured or damaged, but the Pakistani side has inflicted heavy losses across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in response to unprovoked Taliban aggression.
As of right now, there have been no Pakistani soldiers captured, nor any Pakistani soldiers martyred. Any claims of damage to Pakistan thus far are little more than the fantasy of India’s proxies in Afghanistan.
InshaAllah, rest assured, all aggression targeting Pakistan will get the same response: immediate and effective.”
Zaidi said reports suggesting territorial losses or casualties on the Pakistani side were unfounded and driven by what he described as Indian proxies operating from Afghan soil.
He maintained that no Pakistani post had been overrun or damaged, and that there had been neither fatalities nor captures among Pakistani troops.
Key Afghan Taliban infrastructure blown up: security sources
Security sources said 12 Afghan border posts had been completely destroyed, while Pakistani forces had taken control of five others and hoisted the national flag on them during the latest phase of operations.
ؓBesides the Nangarhar depot, the sources said that Pakistani forces targeted Kandahar province where an ammunition depot and a logistics base were destroyed, further degrading Taliban forces' operational capabilities.
Officials also confirmed that a core headquarters of the Afghan Taliban was destroyed in the Paktia province.
Security sources said that three Afghan battalions and a sector headquarters across the border were completely destroyed in the latest phase of the operation.
The sources said that more than 30 tanks, artillery guns and armoured personnel carriers (APCs) were also destroyed.
Security sources said Pakistani forces destroyed the Dawood post of the Afghan Taliban and another security check post in Angoor Adda. Forces captured a check post located in the Paktika province.
The forces also blew up another Afghan check post located in the Wali Khan sector located near the border area.
Along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, several Taliban positions at the Kharlachi terminal, a key Pak-Afghan border crossing in the Kurram district, were also hit, according to officials.
Security sources said that Afghan Taliban posts near the Mohmand sector were abandoned, with fighters forced to retreat under pressure from Pakistani operations.
Several Afghan positions were destroyed, and other forward outposts were left deserted.
Officials also confirmed that key Taliban military installations in Kabul, including two Brigade headquarters, were destroyed.
Pakistan responding decisively: Tarar
In a statement on the latest situation along the Pak-Afghan frontier, Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar said the Afghan Taliban regime initiated hostilities and then attempted to deflect attention through “false and baseless propaganda” on social media.
He said that Afghan Taliban-linked and Indian social media accounts were circulating misleading information about the clashes. “These rumours have no connection with reality,” he said, adding that such narratives were being disseminated to “cover up embarrassment” after what he termed as setbacks to the Afghan forces on the ground.
Tarar said that Pakistan would not allow what he called “lies and propaganda” to obscure developments on the ground, insisting that the country’s forces were thwarting the designs of attackers.
According to the minister, Pakistan’s armed forces were acting with professionalism and resolve. He said 36 Afghan Taliban operatives had been killed and several others injured in the exchanges.
On the Pakistani side, two soldiers were martyred while three others were wounded, he added. There was no immediate response from the Taliban authorities in Kabul.
Tarar said that Pakistan carried out a successful operation against “Fitna al-Khawarij” militants.
He stressed that cross-border firing from the Afghan side in defence of the militants had exposed the Afghan Taliban regime before the international community.
He called on Afghanistan to “learn from past setbacks”, suggesting that previous confrontations had demonstrated the resolve of Pakistan’s security forces.
He added that any hostile designs against Pakistan would continue to be thwarted. “We will keep neutralising the malicious intentions of every enemy who casts an evil eye on our country,” he said.
Afghan Taliban’s attempts to attack Pakistani security forces’ check posts using quadcopters failed, security sources said, adding that all quadcopters were shot down by Pakistani forces in swift and timely action.
Pakistani security forces are responding to the Taliban regime with light and heavy weapons, the sources said, adding that Afghan Taliban positions were also being targeted by drones.
False claims and fake videos were also being circulated on social media by the Taliban regime, the sources added.
Earlier, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in a statement, said that the Afghan Taliban regime’s unprovoked action along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border was given an immediate and effective response.
In a post on X, the ministry said that the Afghan Taliban miscalculated and opened unprovoked fire on multiple locations across the Pak-Afghan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is being met with an immediate and effective response by Pakistan’s security forces.
"Taliban regime forces are being delivered punishment in Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram and Bajaur sectors," it added.
Early reports confirm heavy casualties on the Afghan side with multiple posts and equipment destroyed, said the ministry.
Pakistan will take all necessary measures to ensure its territorial integrity and the safety and security of its citizens, it added.
The development came days after more than 100 militants were killed in intelligence-based airstrikes along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border targeting seven camps and hideouts linked to Fitna al-Khawarij — a term used for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
According to the security sources, the airstrikes had been carried out in Nangarhar, Paktika and Khost provinces of Afghanistan in response to recent suicide attacks in Pakistan.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry has said that Pakistan is taking measures to respond to unprovoked actions by the Afghan Taliban along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Speaking to
Geo News today, the state minister has emphasised the country’s commitment to national security and territorial integrity.
“No one will be allowed to take away Pakistan’s peace,” he vowed.
Talal also referenced May's conflict with India, saying: “What happened to India, which had armies, planes, and weapons?” He further condemned attacks on civilians, stating that bomb blasts in Pakistan’s markets and mosques cannot be tolerated at all.
Highlighting Pakistan’s commitment to its citizens, he said: “Pakistan will go to any extent for the safety and peace of its people.” He also stressed the need for a peaceful neighbour, adding that Afghanistan must, under all circumstances, become a peaceful neighbour.
MQM's Siddiqui condemns Taliban attacks
Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui condemned recent attacks by the Afghan Taliban on Pakistan’s border areas.
He accused the Taliban of acting as proxies for India, carrying out aggression against the country.
Siddiqui praised Pakistan’s armed forces and citizens, saying they would ensure the nation’s sovereignty remained intact and that no harm would come to the country.
Afghan Taliban fail to act on shared intelligence: Kayani
Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani highlighted that the Pakistani forces once again delivered a strong, decisive response to cross-border aggression, stressing that Pakistan would take all necessary measures to defend itself.
According to Bilal Azhar Kayani, evidence of militant activity was shared with the Afghan Taliban, but no action was taken. He stressed that insurgents were reportedly provided safe havens by the Taliban leadership.
Kayani also emphasised that Pakistan desires peace in the region, but such intentions should not be mistaken for weakness. Referring to the Doha Agreement, he said the Afghan side had pledged not to allow its territory to be used against any country. But, he added, a lack of will on part of the Afghan government had prevented its proper implementation.
He further noted that misinformation and propaganda continue to be circulated, attempting to distort the facts on the ground.
Tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border escalated sharply late on Thursday as, in the latest turn of events, the Pakistan Air Force started launching strikes on Afghan targets, according to...
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