Security forces responded decisively after Afghan Taliban opened fire along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the Ghulam Khan sector of North Waziristan, triggering a brief but intense exchange.
According to security sources, Taliban fighters used both light and heavy weapons to target positions on the Pakistani side. The attack was met with an immediate and effective response, resulting in significant damage to multiple Taliban posts. Reports also indicated casualties on the opposing side.
Following the retaliatory action, Taliban gunfire ceased, and fighters were forced to abandon their positions, underscoring the impact of the response.
Besides, Pakistani security forces have also repelled a series of cross-border attacks in recent engagements, delivering coordinated responses that forced Afghan Taliban elements to retreat from key positions along the frontier. Reports indicate that clashes led to the withdrawal of Taliban fighters from outposts in Nuristan and Kunar provinces, where they abandoned positions after sustained exchanges.
Local accounts suggest that some fleeing elements sought refuge in civilian areas, including mosques, while others attempted to evade detection by blending into nearby populations. Tribal elders in affected areas have expressed concern over the situation, pointing to the Taliban’s failure to ensure stability and alleging that misinformation is being circulated to downplay the scale of setbacks.
These incidents come amid a broader pattern of cross-border hostilities, where Afghan soil continues to be used by terrorist elements against Pakistan. Security officials maintain that such attacks are neither isolated nor spontaneous, but part of a sustained campaign enabled by facilitation, training, and operational support provided to terrorist groups operating against Pakistan.
Pakistan has consistently maintained that it has no expansionist ambitions and that all actions taken across the border are strictly retaliatory, aimed at neutralizing threats emanating from across the frontier. The ongoing Operation Ghazab Lil Haqq stands as a clear manifestation of this policy, launched after relentless terrorist attacks and repeated failures by the Afghan Taliban to act against groups operating from their territory despite multiple commitments.
The latest exchange also follows recent counterterrorism successes, including the neutralization of four Afghan terrorists in Bajaur just a day earlier, as well as two terrorists in North Waziristan in recent days. Security officials stress that these operations represent only a fraction of the broader threat landscape, with extensive evidence pointing to the continued use of Afghan territory for planning and launching attacks inside Pakistan.
Authorities reiterate that Pakistan will continue to respond firmly to any aggression, ensuring the protection of its sovereignty and the safety of its citizens while sustaining pressure on terrorist networks operating along the border.
