ISPR Chief Issues Stark Warning: Afghan Taliban Must Choose Between Pakistan and Terror

By Tahir Shah :

The Afghan Taliban regime faces a clear and unavoidable choice: stand with Pakistan or stand with the terrorist organizations operating from its soil, the military’s spokesperson declared Friday, as tensions between the two neighbours escalate following deadly cross-border clashes.

Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry delivered a strongly worded briefing detailing Pakistan’s military response to what he described as unprovoked aggression by Afghan Taliban forces along the border.

“The oppressive Afghan Taliban regime has to make a clear choice. The choice is to choose between Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, Baloch Liberation Army, Daesh, Al Qaeda, the terrorists and terrorist organisations and Pakistan,” he asserted.

Details of the Attack

According to the DG ISPR, Afghan Taliban forces, acting as a “master proxy” for various terrorist groups, launched coordinated attacks on 53 locations along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The assault, conducted in collusion with Fitna al Khawarij the state’s term for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan—involved armed quadcopters and both light and heavy weaponry.

Pakistan’s armed forces were prepared and responded “immediately and effectively,” repulsing the attacks at all 53 locations. Anti-drone systems successfully neutralised rudimentary drone attempts targeting Abbottabad and Nowshera.

“We shot down their quadcopters and silenced their weapons,” Chaudhry stated, adding that Pakistan exercised its right to self-defence and delivered a “befitting reply.”

Operation Ghazab lil-Haq: Casualties and Damage

Providing details of the military operation launched in response, the DG ISPR reported significant losses on the Afghan side. According to conservative estimates, 274 Taliban regime personnel and associated militants have been killed, with more than 400 injured.

The operation targeted military infrastructure used to support terrorist activities. Seventy-three Afghan Taliban border posts were completely destroyed, and eighteen posts were captured by Pakistani forces. An estimated 115 tanks, armoured vehicles, and artillery pieces belonging to Afghan Taliban forces were also destroyed.

Airstrikes struck 22 locations across Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, Nangarhar, Khost, and Paktika. Chaudhry emphasised that targets—including corps and brigade headquarters, ammunition depots, and logistics bases—were carefully selected based on intelligence, with precautions taken to avoid civilian casualties.

“At no place was any civilian infrastructure targeted. These are all military targets. These are all the infrastructure from where Pakistan was attacked,” he asserted, dismissing Afghan media claims of civilian casualties as false propaganda.

Pakistan’s Sacrifices

The DG ISPR confirmed that 12 Pakistan Army soldiers were martyred during the operations, with 27 injured and one soldier reported missing in action. Video footage shown during the briefing depicted Pakistani soldiers raising the national flag over captured Afghan checkposts.

“The nation is proud of these soldiers who have rendered their lives, their sweat and their blood for the protection of the land and the honour of the people of Pakistan,” Chaudhry said.

India’s Role Alleged

Responding to questions about external involvement, the DG ISPR pointed to India’s sponsorship of terrorism against Pakistan.

“It is absolutely clear that Indian sponsorship, abettment and design are behind any terrorist incident in Pakistan. The base of the operation is… they use the area that is under the oppressive regime of the Afghan Taliban. So that is how they work.”

The Doha Promise Broken

Chaudhry reminded that the Afghan Taliban regime had signed the Doha accord, making written commitments to form an inclusive government and respect women’s rights promises he said remain unfulfilled. The regime had also vowed that Afghan territory would not be used for terrorism against other nations.

“While presenting a different face to the world,” the Taliban made commitments they have failed to honour, he stated.

The DG ISPR emphasised that Pakistan now has “supreme clarity” about the nature of the Afghan Taliban regime, a clarity shared by the country’s civil leadership, military leadership, intelligentsia, and citizens.

National Unity

Addressing potential political divisions, Chaudhry stressed that the entire nation stands united against terrorism.

“Whatever political divisions we may have, whatever different political perspectives we may have; all political parties, all political leaderships are absolutely clear that no place can be given to terrorism and its facilitation in Pakistan,” he said.

He paid special tribute to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police force, describing them as being on the frontline and deserving of national recognition for their sacrifices.

The Ultimatum

Concluding his briefing, the DG ISPR reiterated the fundamental choice confronting Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership.

“Let there be no doubt the Afghan Taliban regime has to make a choice. They have to choose between Pakistan, and the terrorists and terrorism. Our choice is absolutely clear. Our first and last choice is Pakistan, its security, and the protection of its people.”

The operation against the Taliban regime continues under the direction of Pakistan’s civilian leadership, with Chaudhry stating that the armed forces are “achieving the desired results.” He warned that any future terrorist activity targeting Pakistan would draw responses against “terrorists, their guardians, and those who protect them.”

“No place will be safe for them as we also have equal rights,” he asserted.

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