In a massive escalation of hostilities, Pakistan has launched 'Operation Ghazab lil Haq', claiming to have killed over 130 Taliban fighters during a series of retaliatory strikes across Afghanistan. The operation, which began late on Thursday night, has seen the two neighbours enter a state of "open war", according to Islamabad’s defence minister, following months of volatile border skirmishes.
The offensive involved Pakistani jets bombing large Afghan cities, including the capital, Kabul, and the southern stronghold of Kandahar. Citizens in the capital city of Kabul described the sound of roaring aircraft and a series of strong explosions followed by prolonged gunfire that lasted for more than two hours. The bombings represent a dramatic escalation of tensions that had been building since the Taliban took control in 2021, as well as a deadly border skirmish last October that left 70 dead.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday his country's armed forces can "crush" aggressors, following air strikes on neighbouring Afghanistan.
"Our forces have the full capability to crush any aggressive ambitions," Sharif said, according to the Pakistani government's X page.
"The entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the Pakistan armed forces," he said.
Confirming the operation, Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, stated that the military was delivering a "decisive response" to what he termed Afghan aggression. He remarked that while Pakistan had long tried to maintain a policy of normalisation—noting the country's history of hosting millions of Afghan refugees— their "patience has run out."
The core of the dispute remains Islamabad’s accusation that the Taliban provides a safe haven for the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group responsible for a wave of insurgencies within Pakistan. The Taliban government was quick to acknowledge the strikes but downplayed the impact.
Kabul denied the claims and accused Islamabad of violating Afghan sovereignty.
Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid took to X (formerly Twitter) in the early hours of Friday to label the Pakistani military "cowardly", claiming that while Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia were targeted, there were no reported casualties. However, the Afghan defence ministry later confirmed that eight of its soldiers had been killed during the concurrent land offensive.
The X handle 'Afghanistan Defence' shared a video showing the wreckage of a burning F-16. The vertical stabiliser of the highly agile single-engine fighter jet has a small Pakistani flag painted on it.
The numbers '85510' are visible near the exhaust.
Despite previous ceasefire attempts brokered by Qatar and Turkey, the failure of diplomatic negotiations has now pushed the region into a precarious new phase of conflict.
Also read: Pakistan strikes Afghan cities; Taliban claims 55 troops killed
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