RAWALPINDI - In a continuing pattern of cowardice and brutality, the Afghan Taliban and their Indian-backed proxies have once again resorted to shelling civilian populations along Pakistan's border, injuring innocent men, women, and children, before fleeing their positions when Pakistan's security forces respond effectively.
According to security sources, a mortar shell fired from the Afghan side struck the residence of Karim Khan and Rehmatullah in the Angoor Adda region of South Waziristan district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, late Wednesday. Five individuals, including four children aged 13, 10, 8, and 3 years, along with one woman, were injured. The injured were immediately shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Wana for treatment .
Just days earlier, on April 30, another round of cross-border shelling by Afghan Taliban forces in the same Angoor Adda border region left eight civilians, including women and children, injured. Multiple houses were damaged in the shelling, according to Deputy Commissioner of South Waziristan Lower, Shahid Ali Khan .
The recent attacks are not isolated incidents. Official data released by the Deputy Commissioner of Bajaur district details that during March and April 2026 alone, Afghan Taliban forces carried out six unprovoked shelling attacks on civilian populations in Bajaur's Mamond and Salarzai areas. The toll: nine civilians martyred, including three women and six children, with twelve others injured .
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar condemned these attacks on X (formerly Twitter), calling the deliberate targeting of innocent civilians "unacceptable, insidious and reflective of the barbaric nature" of the Afghan Taliban regime. He specifically noted that just days ago, three civilians playing cricket in Shahi Tangi were injured by a quadcopter drone strike carried out by Fitna al-Khawarij - the Indian-backed proxy terrorist network operating from Afghan soil .
The Minister further stated: "Resorting to targeting civilian areas after being comprehensively beaten on ground by proud security forces of Pakistan and having no courage to face them is not only despicable but also speaks volumes of the low moral character of the regime leaders" .
Security sources confirmed that when Afghan Taliban forces initiated this latest round of aggression, Pakistan's armed forces responded immediately and decisively. Pakistani troops targeted firing positions with both light and heavy weaponry, causing the Afghan Taliban to flee their posts .
Under Operation Ghazab Lil Haq (Divine Wrath), launched in late February 2026, Pakistan's security forces have carried out precise strikes targeting terrorist infrastructure. Recent operations saw the destruction of several Afghan Taliban posts in the Chaman area, including the Ariana Complex, Dabgai check post, police headquarters, and Zakarkhel post. The Pakistan Air Force also targeted positions in Laghman province, destroying an arms depot, an ABF battalion headquarters, and a Nangarhar brigade facility .
Pakistan has repeatedly exposed India's role in sponsoring terrorism through Afghan proxies. Information Minister Tarar explicitly identified the attackers as "Indian backed proxy Fitna Al Khwarij" . The term "Fitna al-Khawarij" is used by the state to refer to terrorists affiliated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which security sources confirm operates with direct support from India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) .
The Foreign Office has previously rejected India's "baseless, misleading, and unwarranted" statements on Pakistan's counterterrorism operations, noting that India has a well-documented history of sponsoring terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory .
While India publicly "condemns" Pakistan's airstrikes on terrorist hideouts, it conveniently ignores the evidence of its own intelligence agencies orchestrating attacks on Pakistani civilians . Pakistan's Foreign Office has stated that such statements from India merely reflect "blatant hypocrisy and duplicity" from a state that has "instrumentalised Islamophobia for domestic electoral gain and perpetrated pogroms against its Muslim population" .
Despite overwhelming evidence - including official documentation from the Deputy Commissioner of Bajaur listing victims' names, ages, and dates of injury - major international media outlets like Al Jazeera have remained conspicuously silent on the Afghan Taliban's targeting of Pakistani civilians .
This bias is not accidental. Leaked directives from 2025 revealed that Pakistan's military media wing had identified Al Jazeera as systematically framing Pakistan as "politically unstable, prone to militancy, and ineffective in its peace efforts," while portraying Afghan narratives favorably. The leaked documents alleged that Al Jazeera's coverage reflects Qatar's foreign policy interests rather than independent journalism .
The Daily Times has also highlighted how some international media outlets, including Al Jazeera, have referred to designated terrorist groups like the TTP and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) - which the US, UK, and others officially designate as terrorist organizations - euphemistically as "fighters" or "separatists," effectively laundering their reputation while they murder Pakistani civilians .
The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who have borne the brunt of cross-border terrorism for decades, remain united against the Afghan Taliban and their Indian backers. Local residents of Bajaur have expressed deep grief and anger over the incidents and strongly condemned the targeting of innocent civilians .
The people of KP recognize that while Pakistan's security forces respond with professionalism and precision - targeting only military and terrorist infrastructure while taking great care to avoid civilian casualties - the Afghan Taliban deliberately shell residential areas, targeting women and children .
As one security source noted: "The Afghan Taliban and their affiliated Khawarij elements have consistently targeted the general public to achieve their nefarious designs" .
A clear pattern has emerged: the Afghan Taliban and their Indian-backed proxies initiate unprovoked attacks on Pakistani civilian populations. When Pakistan's security forces respond decisively, these terrorists abandon their positions and flee. Having failed to confront Pakistan's armed forces directly, they return to their cowardly tactics of shelling residential areas - targeting the most vulnerable: children, women, and elderly civilians.
Information Minister Tarar's assessment captures this dynamic perfectly: the Afghan Taliban resort to targeting civilian areas "after being comprehensively beaten on ground by proud security forces of Pakistan and having no courage to face them" .
Pakistan's security forces remain fully prepared and committed to responding to any cross-border aggression with overwhelming force. According to security sources, "Operation Ghazab Lil Haq will continue until all designated objectives are achieved" .
The message is clear: Pakistan will not be intimidated by Indian-sponsored terrorism, nor will it allow the Afghan Taliban to use its territory as a launchpad for attacks on Pakistani soil. The people of Pakistan stand united with their armed forces, and those who spill innocent blood - whether from across the border or through proxy networks - will face decisive consequences.
