Islamabad, March 15 – Pakistan said on Sunday that its security forces targeted terrorist positions and military targets in Afghanistan's Kandahar province in overnight strikes.
Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq on February 26 in response to alleged attacks by the Afghan Taliban forces at 53 locations along the 2,600-km-long border.
In a social media post, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed the military action in Kandahar and shared footage of it.
"On the night of March 14/15, the Pakistan Armed Forces targeted military installations, including the hideouts of the Afghan Taliban and Fitna al-Khawarij," he said.
Fitna al-Khawarij is a term the state uses to refer to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
"In these attacks, Pakistan's forces also destroyed technical support infrastructure and equipment storage facility in Kandahar, which was being used by the Afghan Taliban and terrorists against innocent Pakistani civilians," the minister said.
Tarar said the footage showed "precise engagement by Pakistan on those installations and terrorist camps."
"No civilian population or infrastructure was targeted as falsely propagated by Afghan regime officials and media," he asserted.
Tarar said that at least 684 members of the Afghan Taliban have been killed so far, and more than 912 have been injured in the ongoing operations.
Providing an update on the losses of the Taliban, he said that 252 posts have been destroyed, and another 44 were captured and destroyed.
He said that 229 tanks, armored vehicles and artillery guns have also been destroyed, adding that 73 terrorists and terrorist support infrastructure locations across Afghanistan have been effectively targeted by air.
Separately, Tarar said that a "terrorist staging point" at Afghanistan's Badini Post was destroyed by ground forces.
The latest attacks by Pakistan came after drones sent by the Afghan Taliban were shot down, though the debris injured four people, including two children.