Pakistan Launches Airstrikes on Kabul and Other Afghan Targets in Retaliation for Taliban Border Offensive

SOUTH ASIA/MIDDLE EAST - Pakistan carried out airstrikes on Kabul and targets in Kandahar and Paktia provinces early on February 27 as part of Operation Ghazab Lil Haq.

The strikes came hours after the Afghan Taliban launched a cross-border offensive on February 26. Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that Pakistani forces are delivering “a befitting and effective response […] that will continue to do so.”

The developments represent a significant escalation in border tensions that have intensified since major fighting in October of last year.

Pakistan’s Response and Operation Ghazab Lil Haq

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information announced that the military launched Operation Ghazab Lil Haq in direct retaliation to the Taliban’s offensive actions along the Durand Line.

Attaullah Tarar said Pakistani forces destroyed key Taliban installations, including an ammunition depot in Nangarhar province. He reported that 133 Afghan Taliban operatives were killed and more than 200 injured. He added that 27 Afghan checkpoints were destroyed and nine captured.

Tarar stated that two Pakistani soldiers were killed and three injured in the clashes. He accused the Taliban regime and associated social media accounts of spreading false and baseless propaganda to mask their losses on the ground.

The minister emphasized that Pakistan’s professional armed forces are continuing operations to safeguard territorial integrity.

Assessment: Pakistan’s decision to strike the Afghan capital represents a major shift from previous border-only responses, signaling willingness to hit deeper inside Afghanistan. The claimed high Taliban casualty figures, if accurate, aim to deter further incursions, but risk provoking broader Taliban retaliation along the porous 2,611-kilometer border. Watch for any confirmed hits on high-value Taliban targets in Kabul as the key indicator of operational success.