Pakistan’s military carried out overnight airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, claiming to have targeted “terrorist hideouts and military infrastructure,” according to state-run media reports released on Sunday, according to Dawn News. The strikes mark another phase of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, a campaign launched in late February following what Islamabad described as unprovoked cross-border fire by the Afghan Taliban.
Citing security sources, Pakistan Television (PTV) reported that the operation struck facilities allegedly used by the Afghan Taliban and allied militant groups involved in attacks inside Pakistan. The military said it hit several sites, including a technical support center and an equipment storage facility near Kandahar, said to have been used to launch cross-border operations.
Another strike reportedly destroyed a tunnel in Kandahar that, according to the sources, contained communications and technical equipment used by the Afghan Taliban and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which Pakistan refers to as Fitna al-Khawarij. The armed forces emphasized that operations under Ghazab lil-Haq would continue “until objectives are achieved.”
The latest attacks followed a Friday night incident in which several small drones, described by Pakistan officials as “rudimentary”, were reportedly launched from Afghan territory. The drones injured four people, including two children.
Earlier, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced that security forces had destroyed around 70 militant-linked sites across Kabul, Paktia, and Kandahar, including logistic bases and camps accused of supporting terrorism inside Pakistan. A video shared by the minister appeared to show airstrikes on multiple compounds, including the Tarawo camp in Kandahar and Sher-e-Nau in Paktia province.
According to Tarar, more than 600 militants had been killed and nearly 900 injured since the operation began, as tensions between the two neighboring nations show no sign of easing.
