In an operation named ‘Ghazab lil Haq’, Pakistan said it killed over 130 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan as part of retaliatory action, responding to alleged border attacks by the Afghan force.
Operation Ghazab lil Haq commenced late Thursday night after the Afghan Taliban allegedly launched attacks on several border posts.
Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan including the capital Kabul on Friday, with Islamabad’s defence minister declaring the neighbours at “open war” following months of tit-for-tat clashes.
Asif confirmed that the operation was underway, saying that the armed forces are currently delivering a strong response to aggression from the Afghan Taliban.
In the Afghan capital jets and multiple loud blasts were heard, followed by gunfire, over a period of more than two hours, AFP news agency reported.
An AFP reporter in Afghanistan’s southern city of Kandahar, where Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada is based, said he heard jets overhead.
Pakistan declares ‘open war’
He said that Pakistan has made every effort to maintain normalisation, both directly and through friendly nations. “The forces of Pakistan had given a decisive response to aggression from the Afghan Taliban.”
He expressed that Pakistan’s previous role had been “positive,” highlighting the country’s hosting of Afghan refugees, but noted, “Our patience has run out. Now there is an open war.”
The prolonged clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan stem from tense relations between the two neighbours since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The two countries had their first recent major clash in October last year, leaving about 70 people dead on both sides.
Islamabad accuses the Taliban of giving sanctuary to groups behind escalating attacks, especially the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has carried out a long-running insurgency in Pakistan. Kabul denies this and argues that Pakistan hosts groups targeting Afghanistan and disregards Afghan sovereignty.
The first round of clashes was on the October 11-12 weekend of 2025 after Afghanistan launched revenge strikes on Pakistan, responding to an attack in Afghani capital Kabul that the country blamed the latter for. Since then, the two have launched strikes on each other intermittently, leaving dozens dead.
Several rounds of negotiations followed an initial ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey, but the efforts have not succeeded in producing a lasting agreement.
