ISLAMABAD, Feb 27 (KUNA) -- Pakistan and Afghanistan on Friday traded heavy cross border strikes and security forces of both the neighboring countries claimed to kill a number of soldiers.
Pakistanآ’s Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said in a press statement that Pakistani forces have killed 133 Taliban fighters while over 200 others sustained injuries as Pakistan launches "Operation Ghazab Lil Haq" against Afghanistan.
The minister claimed that 27 posts of the Afghan Taliban regime have been destroyed while nine have been seized, adding that many more casualties are estimated in strikes at Kabul, Paktia and Kandahar military targets.
He further claimed that two Corps Headquarters, three Brigade Headquarters, two ammunition depots, one logistics base, three battalion headquarters, two sector headquarters and over eighty artillery APCs of the Taliban regime were also destroyed.
For his part, Defense Minister of Pakistan Khawaja Asif in a statement accused Afghanistan of having "gathered terrorists from all over the world in Afghanistan and started exporting terrorism." He declared war on Afghanistan saying, "Our patience has run out. Now there is an open war." A press release by the Afghan Ministry of National Defense accused that retaliatory operations were conducted following the "aggression" carried out a few days ago by the Pakistani military circles against Afghan territory during which Afghanistanآ’s airspace was violated.
The Afghan side claimed that effective strikes were launched against Pakistani military posts across the Durand Line in the eastern and southeastern directions killing 55 Pakistani soldiers.
It further claimed that two military bases and 19 outposts were captured while seizing light and heavy weapons, ammunition, and military equipment, confirming that eight fighters of Afghanistan were killed and 11 others sustained injuries.
The recent clashes come two days after Pakistan claimed to strike seven "terrorists camps and hideouts belonging to Pakistani Taliban" at the Pak-Afghan border inside Afghanistan in response to recent suicide bombings in Pakistan.
Earlier, Pakistan Foreign Office summoned the Afghan Deputy Head of Mission and delivered a strong demarche to Afghanistan on the terrorist attack that killed 11 soldiers in Bajaur tribal district of northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province last week. (end) sbk.mt