What Is Operation Ghazab Lil Haq? Pakistan Strikes Afghan Cities Amid Escalating Border Tensions

Last Updated:February 27, 2026, 10:21 IST

According to Pakistan, Operation Ghazab lil-Haq was launched after Afghanistan opened unprovoked firing on multiple locations along the border.

Operation Ghazab Lil Haq: Pakistan launched a large-scale military offensive under ‘Operation Ghazab Lil Haq’ against Afghanistan’s Taliban, targeting cities including Kabul and Kandahar with airstrikes during the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.

Islamabad described the operation as an “immediate and effective response" to unprovoked aggression and unprovoked firing from across the border, Pakistani news outlet The Dawn reported.

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Afghanistan condemned the military action as “cowardly" and stated that there were no casualties on its side. Pakistan, however, lauded the operation as “effective" and claimed that 133 Afghans were killed.

Fighting has spread across multiple provinces. On the Afghan side, clashes were reported in Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Nangarhar, Kunar and Nuristan. On the Pakistani side, violence affected areas including Khyber, Bajaur, Waziristan, Mohmand, Chitral and Torkham.

All About The Operation

Operation Ghazab Lil Haq — which roughly translates to “Wrath for the Sake of Truth" — is a coordinated military offensive launched by Pakistan targeting Taliban defence positions inside Afghanistan.

According to Pakistani officials, the operation included air and ground strikes on locations in Kabul, Kandahar, Nangarhar and Paktia provinces. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) reportedly struck ammunition depots, military headquarters and logistics bases.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said 27 Taliban posts were destroyed and nine were captured. He claimed that at least 133 Afghan Taliban and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters were killed and more than 200 were injured in the broader fighting.

Officials also stated that multiple military installations were destroyed, including two corps headquarters, brigade headquarters, battalion positions and armored vehicles.

Why It Has Been Launched?

Pakistan’s information ministry said Operation Ghazab lil-Haq was launched after Afghanistan opened unprovoked firing on multiple locations along the border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s in Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram and Bajaur sectors on Thursday evening, according to The Dawn.

State broadcaster PTV News reported that the operation was initiated after Kabul claimed its forces had killed 55 Pakistani soldiers in earlier exchanges. Afghanistan’s Deputy Spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said Taliban units had captured 19 Pakistani military outposts and taken control of a headquarters at Anzar Sar in Khost province.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense said the retaliatory campaign began at 8 pm on February 26, corresponding to the 9th of Ramadan 1447, after what it described as a violation of Afghan territory by Pakistan.

Taliban also claimed that 23 bodies of Pakistani soldiers were taken into custody.

Islamabad has strongly rejected Kabul’s figures. Attaullah Tarar said two Pakistani soldiers were killed and three wounded, while 36 Afghan fighters had died in the fighting. He described the Afghan claims as exaggerated and termed the cross-border action “unprovoked aggression."

What We Know So Far?

At least three explosions were heard in Kabul, though there was no immediate information about the exact locations.

In Afghanistan’s southern city of Kandahar, where Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada is based, residents reported to news agency AFP, hearing jets flying overhead.

An Afghan official reported that several civilians were wounded near the Torkham border crossing, at a camp housing people returning from Pakistan. “A mortar shell has hit the camp and unfortunately seven of our refugees have been wounded, and the condition of one woman is serious," said Qureshi Badlun, the information chief in Nangarhar province.

Durand Line Flashpoint

The Durand Line — a long-disputed border dating back to the colonial era — has frequently been a source of friction between the two countries.

Pakistan accuses Afghan-based militants of staging attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, while Kabul disputes the legitimacy of the boundary and accuses Islamabad of violating Afghan sovereignty.

(With inputs from agencies)

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