US President Donald Trump on Saturday voiced strong support for Pakistan’s military action against the Afghan Taliban under Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, commending Islamabad’s handling of the situation and describing its performance positively.
Speaking to reporters before departing for Texas, Trump was asked about Pakistan’s response to what it called unprovoked aggression by the Afghan Taliban.
When questioned about whether he had been asked to intervene, Trump replied, “Well, I would, but I get along with Pakistan, as you know, very well. Very, very well.
“[They] have a great prime minister, a great general there, a great leader … two of the people I really respect a lot,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.
“And I think that Pakistan is doing terrifically well,” he added, sharing his view on the situation.
Later, security sources early Saturday said the Pakistan Army was targeting multiple Afghan Taliban positions across different sectors in what they described as ongoing retaliatory action along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, with several posts destroyed and infiltration attempts thwarted.
According to officials, in the Zaoba sector, the Afghan Golf and Delta posts were destroyed, while the “New Afghan 8” post was also taken out, forcing enemy personnel to flee. An Afghan Taliban vehicle was targeted near the South Complex in the same area.
Positions at the Ariana Complex, Dabgai check post, Afghan police headquarters, and Zakarkhel post were also struck during the operation, sources said.
In the Chitral sector, the Afghan Taliban’s Kandaksy post was severely damaged, while the Khyber post was destroyed, and enemy positions suffered heavy losses.
Similarly, the Omari camp and a post in the Noshki sector were heavily damaged, with Taliban forces sustaining significant casualties in the response, officials added.
Providing the latest updates, security sources said the Afghan Taliban’s senior Jirga Thana post in the Qila Saifullah sector was destroyed, while Pakistani forces were continuing to target military objectives of the Afghan Taliban regime.
They said a timely action by the Pakistan Army foiled an infiltration attempt in the Qila Saifullah sector. Terrorist formations were effectively targeted, with multiple militants killed, according to the sources.
Meanwhile, along the Pak-Afghan border in the Ghulam Khan sector, an Afghan post was destroyed and caught fire after being hit.
Officials claimed Pakistani forces had compelled Afghan Taliban personnel to abandon several check posts and retreat, adding that the action would continue until its objectives were achieved.
They stressed that the armed forces were responding across all fronts to safeguard national security.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that 297 Afghan Taliban personnel have been killed so far during Operation Ghazab lil-Haq.
In a post on X, the minister said more than 450 others had been injured in the operation. He added that 89 Afghan Taliban posts had been destroyed and 18 captured.
Tarar further claimed that 135 tanks and other armed vehicles belonging to the Afghan Taliban had been destroyed, while 29 locations across Afghanistan had been effectively targeted through air strikes.
Earlier on Friday, addressing a press conference, ISPR chief Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that the Afghan Taliban regime used the situation as a pretext to initiate a "so-called action", he added.
Lt Gen Chaudhry stated that firing was carried out in 15 sectors along the Pakistan-Afghan border at 53 different locations, adding that all attacks were effectively repulsed.
Pakistan retaliated with full force after the Afghan Taliban fighters resorted to unprovoked firing along multiple sectors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), including Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram, and Bajaur.
In their retaliatory attacks, Pakistan's armed forces destroyed several key Afghan Taliban posts, while the PAF conducted strikes in Kandahar, Kabul, and Paktia.
Sharing details available at the time of his press conference, the ISPR director general said 274 personnel of the Taliban regime and affiliated militant groups were killed, while more than 400 others were injured during the operation.
He added that over 74 posts of the Taliban regime were destroyed, and 18 checkposts were taken into Pakistan’s custody.
The ISPR DG said that Pakistani forces destroyed 115 enemy tanks and armoured vehicles, while also targeting 22 hideouts of Fitna al-Hindustan and Fitna al-Khawarij during the action.
He said that militants fled the area, leaving behind the bodies of their associates following Pakistan's befitting response to the unprovoked firing.
As many as 12 security personnel embraced martyrdom while 27 sustained injuries during Pakistan’s retaliatory response, he added.
He said that the retaliatory operation continues under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s directives.
"Our operation last night was for the defence of our country and the protection of our people," he said, adding that the forces acted professionally and targeted only military objectives.
He added that drone attacks in KP's Abbottabad and Nowshera were foiled during the exchange of fire with the Taliban regime.
Lt Gen Chaudhry assailed the Afghan Taliban regime for "patronising terrorists," warning that if any act of terrorism or suicide bombing occurs anywhere in Pakistan, the response would target not only the perpetrators but also those providing them shelter or protection.
The ISPR DG said that Afghanistan would have to choose between terror outfits and Pakistan. "Our choice is clear, and we will never hesitate to make a sacrifice for it," he said.
The DG ISPR maintained that Pakistan's armed forces were fully prepared on both eastern and western borders, saying the country's interests would be safeguarded at all costs.
Lt Gen Chaudhry announced that the Operation Ghazab lil-Haq was ongoing and would continue until its objectives were achieved.
The ISPR DG said all political parties were united in their resolve against terrorism, noting a broad consensus in support of Operation Azm-e-Istehkam.
"Setting political differences aside, the nation stands united against terrorism," he said, paying tribute to the police force of KP. "We salute their sacrifices and are proud of their unwavering courage."
Fresh clashes between the two bordering nations erupted late Thursday night, with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stating that Pakistani forces responded after the Afghan Taliban regime opened unprovoked fire in border areas.
Pakistan then launched a targeted and coordinated retaliatory operation, hitting military infrastructure and militant hideouts deep inside Afghanistan.
The information minister said that security forces also successfully neutralised multiple small drones launched by Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists in parts of KP.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif declared what he termed an “open war” against Afghanistan following the Taliban regime’s actions along the frontier.
"This is an open war. The army is not coming from across the sea. We are your neighbours and know your limits," Asif said in a statement.
"Our patience has run out […] no compromise will be made on national security," he added.
As clashes intensified, friendly countries, including China, Iran, and Malaysia, urged for de-escalation and dialogue to resolve issues.
As Pakistan continued its strong retaliatory response to the Taliban regime's actions, Kabul later expressed a desire for "dialogue" to resolve the ongoing tensions with Islamabad.
"We have repeatedly emphasised a peaceful solution, and still want the problem to be resolved through dialogue," Taliban regime spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a news conference.
Pakistan has warned that any further provocation by the Afghan Taliban regime will be met with a decisive and befitting response, the Foreign Office said in a statement on Friday.
In a statement on border clashes with Afghanistan, the FO said Pakistan carried out precise operations in response to repeated terrorist attacks by India-backed militants as well as the latest provocative actions by the Taliban regime.
“In response to repeated terrorist attacks by Fitna-al-Khawarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan against Pakistan emanating from Afghan soil, as well as the latest unwarranted and provocative actions by the Taliban regime on the night of 26 February, Pakistan’s valiant defence forces have carried out precise operations, inflicting heavy losses on terrorist outfits and targeting their logistical support bases in Afghanistan.”
Pakistan’s actions were undertaken in exercise of its right to self-defence and to ensure the safety and security of its citizens, as well as that of the wider region and beyond, it added.
“Any further provocations by the Taliban regime, or attempts by any terrorist group to undermine the security and welfare of the people of Pakistan, will be met with a measured, decisive and befitting response,” the FO warned.
