• Senior security official says 226 posts destroyed in neighbouring country, 36 positions captured
• Brigade headquarters in Kandahar also targeted
• Russia calls on both sides to opt for talks

PESHAWAR: A senior security official has said the Afghan Taliban were well aware of Pakistan’s concerns and demands, adding that the regime needed to take “verifiable steps” if it wanted a ceasefire or a dialogue.

Briefing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-based journalists at the Inter-Services Public Relations headquarters, the senior security official said that the Afghan Taliban regime was “well aware of Pakistan’s concerns”, adding that the “decision was now theirs”.

“If they want dialogue or a ceasefire, they must take verifiable steps,” the official continued. “Pakistan does not wish to attack anyone; our priority remains the country’s security,” he added.

“The Afghan Taliban regime has to choose between Pakistan and terrorists,” the security official emphasised.

He further said that the Pak-Afghan border was the only international border that was “guarded on one side” by Pakistan, instead of maintaining bilateral surveillance.

In an apparent reference to the ongoing operation, he added that despite the prevailing situation, Pakistan was demonstrating “utmost responsibility” by minimising collateral damage.

“Civilian population has not been targeted in any operation carried out by Pakistan,” he said, adding that operations were “limited to terrorist camps and military targets”.

Recalling past attempts at dialogue in the aftermath of the October clashes with Afghanistan, the official said that three different countries played a role in working towards a resolution.

He said that operations aimed at dismantling militant networks and eliminating terrorists within Pakistan were also underway.

However, the official said that until the entire nation “develops a clear and unified narrative against terrorism, total eradication may not be possible”.

“The National Action Plan [NAP] was formulated with this objective in mind, so that along with terrorism, extremism and crime spreading in the society can also be curbed,” he said.

He further said that Pakistan held no “interventionist agenda” concerning Afghanistan, stating that the neighbouring country’s political landscape was a matter for the Afghan people.

“We have only one clear and single stance: that Afghan soil must not be used for terrorism against Pakistan,” he said.

The official further said that the operation against Afghanistan would continue until its objectives were achieved.

He said that security forces had destroyed 226 posts inside Afghanistan which were being used to launch attacks against Pakistan.

Additionally, he said, Pakistani forces had occupied 36 check posts inside Afghanistan “for tactical reasons and hoisted Pakistani flags”.

Talking about KP, he said the provincial government was serious about counterterror operations. “The provincial government is well aware of the threat,” he said.

He also talked about the targeting of the Bagram base in Afghanistan, saying that the purpose was to destroy weapons and ammunition used against Pakistan.

He further said that there was no need for a full-scale operation in KP’s Tirah, saying that security forces had targeted the bases of attacks against the country.

Relations between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban are at their lowest point in the four years since the group came to power. On Feb 22, Pakistan targeted terrorist camps and hideouts overnight in the Nangarhar and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan, which led to the Afghan Taliban launching unprovoked attacks along the border last week. In response, Pakistan on Feb 26 initiated Operation Ghazab Lil Haq.

Operation updates

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Army targeted 41 posts of the Afghan Taliban and Fitna Al Khawarij with light and heavy weapons during the night between March 4 and 5.

According to security sources, the army conducted the operations in the border areas adjacent to the Chaman, Zhob, Noshki sectors and Qila Abdullah.

Besides, the country’s armed forces have destroyed the Afghan Taliban’s 205 Corps brigade headquarters in Kandahar.

The security sources said the forces also targeted the Afghan Taliban’s “ammunition depot in this effective operation”.

Russia calls for refrain

Russia has expressed concern about the ongoing fighting between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, calling for a refrain from hostilities and the process of dialogue.

In a statement posted on X, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted clashes involving aircraft and heavy weaponry across “virtually the entire border area”.

“There have been casualties on both sides. The civilian population is suffering, including Afghan refugees who have returned from neighbouring Pakistan and Iran,” she was quoted as saying.

“We once again call on Kabul and Islamabad to refrain from military confrontation and resolve their differences through dialogue based on mutual respect.”

Jamal Shahid in Islamabad also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2026