Pakistan Forces Retaliate Against Afghan Taliban Border Attacks in Kurram

Pakistani security forces mounted a full-scale retaliatory response against unprovoked heavy weapons fire from the Afghan Taliban targeting border posts in Kurram on Sunday. The Afghan Taliban utilized mortars and other arms, prompting an immediate and forceful counter-attack by Pakistani forces. These forces employed both light and heavy weaponry, including artillery, to target Afghan Taliban border posts, mortar positions, and defensive checkpoints. According to security sources, Pakistani forces maintained full control of the border areas during the engagement, compelling the Afghan Taliban to abandon several posts and retreat. The situation remains under continuous monitoring, with security forces prepared for decisive action against any further provocations. This incident follows a series of cross-border hostilities, including Operation Ghazab lil-Haq launched on February 26 against terrorist hideouts following similar unprovoked firing. Earlier, on April 2-3, an attack on a border post in KP’s Ghulam Khan Sector was foiled, resulting in the deaths of 37 attackers and over 80 injuries. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar previously stated that since the operation began, 796 terrorists and Afghan Taliban operatives have been killed and over 1,043 injured. Additionally, in late April, Pakistani forces destroyed Afghan Taliban gun positions in South Waziristan involved in firing on civilians, injuring three. On April 28, mortar shells from across the Afghan border injured five civilians, including four children and a woman, in Angoor Adda village, South Waziristan. Pakistan has consistently called on the Taliban administration in Kabul to eliminate terrorist sanctuaries within Afghanistan used for attacks on Pakistani territory, but these appeals have reportedly been ignored.