Afghanistan Claims 55 Pakistan Troops Killed in Retaliatory Operation
Kabul says retaliatory strikes against Pakistani military positions ended at midnight after air attacks on Afghan territory, according to TOLO News.
Afghanistan, PUREWILAYAH.COM - Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defense announced that retaliatory military operations against positions of Pakistan’s military regime have formally concluded, following recent Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory.
According to a statement cited by TOLOnews, the operations were carried out in direct response to what Kabul described as repeated aerial attacks by Pakistani forces inside Afghanistan.
The ministry said the decision to launch the operations was defensive in nature and framed them as a response to violations of Afghan sovereignty.
Details of the Military Engagement
In an official statement, the Afghan Defense Ministry said retaliatory operations targeting Pakistani military posts along the so-called Durand Line ended at midnight on the direct order of the Chief of General Staff.
The statement claimed that during the operations, 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed, with some bodies left behind, while hundreds of light and heavy weapons were seized by Afghan forces.
The ministry also reported that two military headquarters and 19 outposts belonging to Pakistani forces were captured during the course of the operations, and that several Pakistani soldiers were taken alive.
Kabul Frames Operations as Defensive Response
According to the same statement, eight Afghan soldiers were killed and 11 others wounded during the fighting.
Separately, the ministry said a Pakistani airstrike targeted a temporary camp for returnees in the Torkham area, wounding 13 civilians, including women and children.
The Afghan Defense Ministry described the airstrike as part of Pakistan’s broader military actions against Afghan territory, reiterating that the retaliatory operations were conducted in direct response to those attacks.
Afghan officials emphasized that the operations were not initiated arbitrarily, but were a direct reply to what they described as Pakistan’s recent military aggression.
The ministry said Afghanistan reserves the right to defend its territory and respond to external military actions, stressing that responsibility for escalation lies with those who initiate attacks. (PW)