Pakistan's Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, has stated that security forces have so far killed 331 Afghan Taliban fighters, destroyed over 100 posts (with figures varying between 104 and 130 in updates), and captured several others during Operation Ghazablil-Haq (meaning "Wrath for Justice" or similar, a retaliatory campaign launched in late February 2026).
The Pakistani side initiated military strikes against Afghan Taliban positions following recent militant attacks across the country, which Islamabad blames on groups harboured on Afghan soil, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Pakistani authorities allege that the Afghan Taliban regime is sheltering and harbouring terrorists who use Afghan territory to launch cross-border attacks into Pakistan.
On the other hand, the Kabul regime claims that Pakistani strikes have targeted civilians, prompting strong retaliation from Afghan forces.
The confrontations, which began with small arms exchanges along the Durand Line, escalated into limited border skirmishes involving small- to medium-arms fire from both sides, with drone and airstrikes reported in Kabul and the Nangarhar sector.
Minister Tarar, in a Saturday update, said that over 500 Afghan forces and associated terrorists were injured in the ongoing operation, which is expected to continue for several days.
He also claimed that Pakistani forces destroyed around 135 tanks and armoured vehicles while targeting 37 locations across Afghanistan via airstrikes.
A Taliban representative and spokesperson countered that their forces had killed dozens of Pakistani soldiers (with Afghan claims in related statements reaching up to 55 or more in earlier phases, though exact figures vary and are unverified independently), without providing a precise number.
In the aftermath, the Afghan Taliban have reportedly turned to social media to circulate misleading content in an effort to suppress accurate information.
In one instance, Afghan-linked social media accounts shared multiple images of a trainer aircraft wreckage, claiming it was shot down during the recent escalations.
However, fact-checking sources indicate that the image dates back to a previous incident in 2025 and is being repurposed by the Taliban regime as part of information warfare.
“The photograph circulating online shows the debris of a training aircraft from a previous incident in 2025 and has no connection to the present escalation,” experts have noted.
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