ISLAMABAD ( WNAM REPORT ): At least 23 Pakistan armed forces personnel were martyred and more than 200 Afghan Taliban members and terrorists killed in exchange of heavy cross-border firing last night, the military’s media wing said on Sunday.
“Pakistan will continue to exercise its right to defend its people by persistent neutralisation of terror targets if the Taliban-led Afghan government fails to act against terrorists operating from their territory,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated.
It said Pakistan called upon the Afghan Taliban government to take immediate and verifiable actions to neutralise terrorist groups, operating from their territory. It said if the Taliban government continues to sponsor terrorist outfits, in cohorts with India, for shortsighted objective of destabilising the region, the people and the state of Pakistan will not rest until the menace of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan is completely eliminated.
The ISPR said Afghan Taliban and Indian-sponsored Fitna al Khawarij launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistan along the Pak-Afghan border, last night. The cowardly action, which included fire and few physical raids, was aimed at destabilising the border areas to facilitate terrorism, furthering Fitna al Khawarij’s nefarious designs.
“Exercising the right of self-defence, the alert armed forces of Pakistan repelled the assault decisively all along the border and inflicted heavy casualties on Taliban forces and affiliated Khwarjis. Precision fires and strikes, as well as physical raids were directed against Taliban camps and posts, terrorist training facilities and support networks operating from Afghan territory, including elements linked to Fitna al Khwarij, Fitna al Hindustan and Daesh. All possible measures were taken to avoid collateral damage and to protect civilian lives,” the ISPR said.
As a result of these unrelenting operations, multiple Taliban locations were destroyed all along the border. Twenty-one hostile positions on the Afghan side of border were also briefly physically captured and multiple terrorist training camps, used to plan and facilitate attacks against Pakistan, were rendered inoperative, the ISPR said.
“During overnight skirmishes, twenty-three brave sons of Pakistan embraced shahadat while defending territorial integrity of their beloved country against this outrageous action while twenty-nine soldiers are injured.
“According to credible intelligence estimates and damage assessment, more than two-hundred Taliban and affiliated terrorists have been neutralised while the number of injured is much higher,” it said.
The military’s media wing said the infra-structural damages to Taliban posts, camps, headquarters and support networks of terrorists are extensive, all along the border and range from tactical to operational depth.
The ISPR said the Armed Forces of Pakistan remain ever ready to protect the territorial integrity, life and property of the people of Pakistan. Our resolve to defend Pakistan’s territorial integrity and to defeat those who threaten our security is unwavering.
