RAWALPINDI: Security forces have killed 15 militants attempting to infiltrate Pakistan from Afghanistan opposite North Waziristan, the military’s media wing said on Thursday.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the movement of a group of militants affiliated with what it describes as Indian-sponsored Fitna Al Khwarij was detected during the night of August 31 and September 1, 2026.
The militants were attempting to cross into Pakistan through the Pakistan-Afghanistan border opposite North Waziristan district, ISPR said.
“Own troops responded professionally and with patience to engage them successfully,” the military’s media wing said.
Following a “precise and skilful engagement”, 15 militants were killed during the 36-hour operation, according to ISPR.
During a follow-up sanitisation operation, security forces recovered a significant quantity of weapons and ammunition from the militants.
The military said the recovery further exposed the “nefarious designs” of the militants and their facilitators seeking to disrupt peace and stability in Pakistan.
The Pakistan military uses the term “Fitna Al Khawarij” for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants.
Afghan Taliban regime blamed for cross-border terrorism
ISPR said the latest incident along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border once again vindicated Pakistan’s position regarding what it described as the failure of the Afghan Taliban regime to prevent Afghan territory from being used by the TTP for cross-border terrorism.
The military said the Afghan Taliban regime had consistently failed to ensure effective border management and fulfil its international obligations.
Security forces remain committed to defending Pakistan’s frontiers, ISPR said, adding that a sanitisation operation was under way to eliminate any other militants found in the area.
PM Shehbaz praises security forces
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces for thwarting the attempted infiltration and killing 15 militants in North Waziristan.
“Security forces have thwarted the enemy’s nefarious designs with patience and courage,” the prime minister said.
He said the Azm-e-Istehkam vision would continue until the menace of terrorism was completely eradicated.
Shehbaz said the nation was proud of the armed forces, who were working round the clock to defend the country’s borders.
ISPR said the counter-terrorism campaign under the vision of Azm-e-Istehkam, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, would continue at full pace.
The campaign aims to eliminate what the military describes as foreign-sponsored and foreign-supported terrorism in the country.
Pakistan and Afghanistan share a 2,400-kilometre border known as the Durand Line, which was drawn by British rulers in 1896. Kabul does not recognise it as an international boundary, making the border a longstanding source of tension between the two neighbours.
