• Pakistani forces also destroyed terrorist hideouts near the Pak-Afghan border in Zhob and Qila Saifullah sectors, PTV reports
• UN hu­­m­an rights chief urges both countries to halt fighting and protect civilians

ISLAMABAD: Infor­m­ation Minister Attaullah Tarar on Friday said that 527 Afghan Taliban operatives had been killed and more than 755 injured du­­ring the ongoing Opera­tion Ghazab lil-Haq.

In a post on X summarising Afghan Taliban losses, he said that 237 check posts had been destroyed, while 38 posts were captured and subsequently destroyed. He further said that 205 tanks, armoured vehicles, and artillery guns had also been destroyed, while 62 locations across Afghanistan were effectively targeted by airstrikes.

Citing security sour­ces, state-run broadcaster PTV reported in a post on X that the armed forces had destroyed terrorist hi­­­de­outs near the Pak-Af­ghan border in the Zhob and Qila Saifullah sectors.

According to the sou­r­ces, during the Pakistan Army’s effective operation, Afghan Taliban figh­ters were forced to abandon their posts and flee.

The report added that Pakistan’s armed forces had also destroyed multiple post of Afghan Tali­ban and Fitna al Khaw­a­r­­ij, a term used by the sta­te for the banned Teh­re­ek-i-Taliban Pakistan, in the Kurram sector, citing security sources.

Meanwhile, UN Hu­­m­an Rights Chief Volker Turk implored Pakistan and Afghanistan to end the fighting.

“Civilians on both sides of the border are now having to flee from airstrikes, heavy artillery fire, mortar shelling and gunfire,” Turk said.

“I plead with all parties to bring an end to the conflict, and to prioritise helping those experiencing extreme hardship,” he said in a statement issued in Geneva, a copy of which was made available to Dawn.

He called on all parties to take effective measures to ensure the protection of civilians, in line with their obligations un­­der international hu­­man rights law and international humanitarian law. Since the intensification of hostilities between Pakistan and Afgha­nis­tan last week, up to 66,000 people have been displaced in Afghanistan as a result of the latest fighting, according to the UN.

He also insisted that those responsible for violations be held to account, in accordance with international standards.

Amin Ahmed in Islamabad also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2026