KABUL, Feb 27 — Afghan security forces conducted a series of military operations along the Durand Line late Thursday, resulting in the deaths of 55 Pakistani soldiers and the capture of several border outposts. The Afghan Ministry of Defense confirmed the maneuvers began at 8 p.m. on Feb. 26, describing the action as a response to previous territorial incursions.
The ministry maintained that the strikes targeted Pakistani military positions in provinces including Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Nangarhar, Kunar, and Nuristan. Officials asserted that the four-hour engagement led to the destruction of two military bases and 19 posts.
“In these retaliatory operations along the Durand Line, 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed, two bases and 19 posts were captured,” the ministry statement read. The document further declared that Afghan forces seized a significant cache of ammunition and military supplies during the encounter.
In response, Islamabad launched “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq,” a retaliatory campaign targeting Afghan positions. Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesperson for the Prime Minister, affirmed that 133 Afghan fighters were killed and over 200 others wounded during the counter-operation. Pakistani security forces reportedly focused their efforts across the Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram, and Bajaur districts.
The Afghan Ministry acknowledged the loss of eight fighters, while noting that 11 others sustained injuries. The ministry also stated that 13 civilians were injured following a missile strike on a refugee camp in Nangarhar.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid later noted that Pakistani aerial strikes reached as far as Kabul and Kandahar. “The Pakistani military has carried out airstrikes in certain areas of Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia; fortunately, there have been no reported casualties,” Mujahid maintained in a public statement.
The 2,611 km border remains a point of contention, as Afghan authorities have historically declined to officially recognize the Durand Line as a formal international boundary.
