Pakistan Army destroys Afghan Taliban posts in retaliatory border strikes

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have destroyed several Afghan Taliban posts and military installations in fresh retaliatory strikes near South Waziristan and Parachinar, security sources said on Friday.

The operation was launched in response to what sources described as unprovoked firing by Afghan Taliban personnel in the Angoor Adda sector on October 27.

According to the sources, several Afghan Taliban positions were targeted during the operation. The personnel stationed at the posts reportedly abandoned their positions and fled following the strikes. Multiple casualties among Afghan Taliban personnel were also reported, although no official figures were immediately available.

The latest action follows an earlier exchange of fire in Angoor Adda, where Afghan Taliban forces allegedly opened fire on a local market and nearby residential areas. A mortar shell struck the area, killing one civilian and injuring five members of the same family. Several shops were also damaged in the incident.

The deputy commissioner of Lower South Waziristan had said Pakistani forces deployed along the border were responding to the attack. Security sources subsequently reported that several Afghan Taliban checkposts had been destroyed in the retaliatory operation.

Cross-border tensions have continued in the Angoor Adda sector, with similar incidents reported in recent months. In late April, mortar shelling from across the border injured civilians and damaged houses in South Waziristan, prompting Pakistani forces to target Afghan Taliban positions, according to security sources and local authorities.

The latest confrontation comes amid renewed hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan following the launch of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in February.

Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Afghan Taliban administration to prevent militant groups from using Afghan territory to carry out attacks inside Pakistan.