Pakistan Border Operation: According to PTI, tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border have escalated once again. Pakistan has claimed that at least 29 suspected militants were killed near the border in a ground operation launched on Sunday based on intelligence inputs.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that this action was taken in response to an attempted infiltration at the Pakistan Rangers headquarters in Karachi on June 27 and other recent terror attacks. According to him, the operation targeted militant hideouts and alleged safe havens.
Tarar said the operation was launched following attacks on security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Karachi in recent days. However, these claims by Pakistan could not be independently verified.
He said, “Security forces conducted a well-planned ground operation based on intelligence along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Subsequently, precision strikes were carried out against hideouts and safe havens of terrorists linked to Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Fitna-al-Khawarij in the border area, resulting in the killing of 29 Khawarij.”
The Information Minister further added, “On June 28, 2026, security forces conducted a ground operation based on intelligence against a group of terrorists near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”
Earlier this year in February, Islamabad had launched ‘Operation Ghazab Lil-Haq’ in response to alleged attacks by Afghan Taliban forces at approximately 53 locations along the 2,600-kilometer-long border.
According to PTI, Pakistan stated over the weekend that it continued its ‘Operation Ghazab Lil-Haq’ based on credible intelligence. Additionally, on the night of June 28–29, terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Fitna-al-Khawarij in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region were precisely targeted.
During these precision strikes, at least three hideouts in Kunar, Paktia, and Paktika were destroyed, resulting in the deaths of at least 25 terrorists. Furthermore, Tarar stated that large quantities of weapons and ammunition stockpiled at these centers and hideouts were also destroyed.
Islamabad claims that 29 extremists were killed in the precision strikes, whereas the Taliban has reported civilian casualties. According to AFP, Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid stated that dozens of civilians were killed or injured in Islamabad’s attacks in eastern Afghanistan. Mujahid also described these attacks as a “cowardly act of aggression.”
These precision strikes by Pakistan occurred a day after four Pakistani soldiers were killed in an explosion in Karachi. A splinter group of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for that attack. The Pakistan Taliban is a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, which returned to power in Kabul in 2021.
The attack in Karachi took place around 8:30 PM on June 27, when an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into a building belonging to the country’s paramilitary force, the ‘Sindh Rangers.’ An explosion followed, and terrorists stormed the compound, opening fire. They also hurled hand grenades, causing further blasts.
In response to the attack, the Rangers’ compound was sealed off, and residents were advised to stay indoors. A gun battle lasting 90 minutes ensued between the attackers and Pakistani security forces. Commandos from the Special Security Unit and the Anti-Terrorist Force joined the Rangers personnel in this operation. Four Rangers personnel were killed in an attack in Karachi, while six terrorists were killed and one wounded terrorist was captured in the retaliatory action. The captured terrorist has been identified as an Afghan national.
(With agency inputs)