Pakistani security forces killed 29 suspected militants in an intelligence-based operation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, followed by what Islamabad described as “calibrated strikes” on militant hideouts across the frontier, Pakistani officials said on Monday.
The operation came a day after militants armed with guns and explosives attacked the Pakistan Rangers’ headquarters in Karachi, killing four security personnel. Pakistan said the latest action was launched in response to a series of militant attacks across the country.
In a post on X, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the operation targeted hideouts used by the militant groups Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Fitna al-Khwarij after suspected militants attempted to attack the Rangers headquarters in Karachi on June 27.
“A well-planned intelligence-based ground operation was carried out by security forces along the Pakistan-Afghan border, followed by calibrated strikes against terrorist hideouts and safe havens,” Tarar said, adding that 29 suspected militants were killed.
According to the government, the operation began in Pakistan’s Bajaur district in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa before expanding to targets across the border region. Tarar said security forces destroyed militant camps, weapons and ammunition during the operation.
In a separate post on X, a Pakistan official said four militants, including a “high-value” commander identified as Khan Farosh, were killed on its side of the border. It subsequently carried out what it described as calibrated strikes on three militant targets in Afghanistan’s Paktia, Paktika and Kunar provinces, where at least 25 more suspected militants were killed and militant infrastructure destroyed.
Islamabad said the strikes were part of its ongoing “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq”, launched earlier this year following what it claims were cross-border attacks by militants operating from Afghan territory along the 2,600-km frontier.
The Taliban administration in Afghanistan disputed Pakistan’s account, saying the strikes caused civilian casualties. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said dozens of civilians were killed or wounded in eastern Afghanistan and described the attacks as a “cowardly act of aggression.”
The cross-border action followed Saturday night’s attack on the Sindh Rangers’ regional headquarters in Karachi. According to Pakistani authorities, militants rammed an explosives-laden vehicle through the compound’s main gate before opening fire and throwing grenades. Security forces killed six attackers and captured one injured suspect, whom Pakistan identified as an Afghan national. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack.
“Pakistan has always strived for maintaining peace and stability in the region, but at the same time shall not compromise on the safety and security of our citizens, which remains our top priority,” Tarar said.
Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in militant attacks targeting police and security forces in recent years. Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban administration of sheltering TTP militants and allowing them to launch cross-border attacks, an allegation Kabul has consistently denied. The latest exchange marks another escalation in tensions between the two neighbouring countries.
