Tarar says airstrikes destroyed ammo depots; Kabul denies, claims civilian casualties
A Pakistani army tank stands at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Chaman on February 27, 2026, following overnight cross-border fighting between the two countries. Photo: AFP
Pakistan’s armed forces carried out precision airstrikes late on March 16 under “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq”, targeting what officials described as terrorism-supporting military installations of the Afghan Taliban regime in Kabul and Nangarhar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Tuesday.
“Technical support infrastructure and ammunition storage facilities at two locations in Kabul were effectively destroyed. The visible secondary detonations after the strikes clearly indicate the presence of large ammunition depots,” Tarar wrote on X.
✅ 17 March 2026
✅ Pakistan’s Armed Forces successfully carried out precision airstrikes on the night of 16 March as a part of Operation Ghazab Lil Haq, targeting Afghan Taliban regime terrorism sponsoring military installations in Kabul and Nangarhar.
✅ Technical support… pic.twitter.com/b8YJkGC0cv
— Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) March 16, 2026
He said four Afghan Taliban regime “terrorism sponsoring” military sites were also struck in Nangarhar, destroying associated logistics, ammunition and technical infrastructure.
According to the minister, the strikes were “precise” and limited to infrastructure used by the Afghan Taliban regime to support its “multiple terror proxies”, including Fitna Al Khawarij and Fitna Al Hindustan – terms Pakistani authorities use for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), respectively.
“False claims made by the propagandists Taliban regime cannot befool the Afghans and the world from their heinous actions supporting and sponsoring terrorism in the region,” he said.
The Afghan Taliban authorities in Kabul said the strikes hit a drug treatment centre, killing civilians – a claim Pakistani security sources rejected as “ridiculous”.
Operation Ghazab Lil Haq was launched last month following renewed clashes along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, after Afghan Taliban forces fired on multiple locations, prompting swift military retaliation by Pakistan.
The neighbouring countries have been engaged in escalating hostilities along the frontier since then. The clashes intensified after Afghanistan launched a border offensive in response to earlier Pakistani air strikes targeting terrorist positions.
“Operations under Ghazab Lil Haq to safeguard Pakistani citizens against terrorism waged by Master Terror Proxy (Afghan Taliban) will continue until the desired objectives are fully achieved,” Tarar said.
Also read: Precision strikes target Taliban depot in Kabul
Video footage circulating after the strikes showed tall flames and secondary explosions, which a source said confirmed that a large stockpile of explosives had been targeted in the Afghan capital.
Earlier, security sources said the army carried out operations in the Kurram sector, targeting key hideouts used by Afghan Taliban operatives and Fitna al-Khawarij. Several positions allegedly used for terrorist activities were struck.
The operation destroyed multiple Taliban posts, killing several Khawarij – a term used by authorities for terrorists linked to the TTP – while others fled, the sources added.
In a separate development, Pakistani forces also conducted retaliatory actions in the Bajaur sector along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, targeting Afghan Taliban posts near the frontier.
Security sources said the operation destroyed several Taliban positions, with the army also using guided missiles during the strikes.
The latest escalation in tensions between the two countries follows a series of tit-for-tat actions over the past year.
Pakistan earlier carried out air strikes targeting camps of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State Khorasan Province inside Afghanistan after a wave of attacks in Pakistan, including a suicide bombing in Islamabad.
Read More: 13 terrorists killed in intelligence-based operations across K-P
Pakistani security sources said more than 80 terrorists were killed in those strikes. The strikes prompted attacks by Afghanistan along the border, leading to the breakout of the latest round of open conflict.
Islamabad has long maintained that TTP leaders operate from Afghan territory, an allegation that Kabul has repeatedly denied.
Tensions also surged after a series of explosions in Kabul on October 9 last year. Taliban forces subsequently targeted areas along Pakistan’s border, prompting Islamabad to respond with cross-border shelling. The exchanges caused casualties and infrastructure damage on both sides and led to the suspension of trade after border crossings were closed on October 12, 2025.
