Security forces neutralised eight India-sponsored terrorists during an engagement along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.
According to the military’s media wing, movement of a group of militants, identified as Fitna al-Khawarij and described as India-backed, was detected by security forces on April 1.
The ISPR said troops effectively engaged the group, resulting in the killing of eight militants in what it termed a “precise and skillful engagement”. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the slain individuals.
“The engagement once again substantiates our repeated stance regarding the abject failure of the Afghan Taliban regime to ensure effective border management on their side of the border. Afghan Taliban regime must fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by khwarij and involvement of its citizens in terrorism inside Pakistan,” the statement said.
The military’s media wing reaffirmed that Pakistan’s security forces remain resolute in defending the country’s frontiers.
It added that sanitisation operations are underway in the area to eliminate any remaining militants, stating that the counter-terrorism campaign under the vision of Azm-e-Istehkam will continue at full pace to eradicate foreign-sponsored terrorism.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in cross-border militant activity since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
In response to the escalating situation, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, during which hundreds of Afghan Taliban fighters and allied militants were killed and many others wounded, according to official figures shared by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.
Earlier, in October 2025, border clashes erupted after Afghan Taliban fighters carried out attacks on Pakistani positions, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides, including the martyrdom of 23 Pakistani soldiers.
Despite multiple rounds of negotiations, efforts to ease tensions have not yielded a breakthrough, with officials citing a lack of action by Afghan authorities against militant groups operating from their soil.
