ISLAMABAD: Fresh evidence of Afghan nationals’ involvement in cross-border terrorism in Pakistan has emerged after two terrorists killed in an intelligence-based operation in Kurram district were identified as Afghan citizens, security sources said on Thursday.
The terrorists killed in the operation were identified as Sifat Ullah, alias Saifullah Jamshid, son of Tajalli, a resident of Janikhel in Afghanistan’s Paktia province, and Omar Fidai.
Their identification has taken the documented number of Afghan nationals involved in terrorist activities inside Pakistan to more than 257.
Reports further indicate that condolence gatherings for the terrorists were held in their respective home provinces in Afghanistan. During a memorial for Sifat Ullah in Rabát village of Janikhel district, posters bearing the Fitna-al-Khawarij flag were displayed publicly.
Fitna al-Khawarij is the term used by the state to refer to terrorists affiliated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The latest development is part of a wider pattern of cross-border involvement. Hafiz Muhibullah, alias Khalid, a Kandahar resident, was among seven terrorists killed in North Waziristan five days ago.
In a separate operation three days ago, security forces also killed Abdullah Jan, an associate of the Gul Bahadur group and a close aide to Commander Gohar.
The identification of more than 257 Afghan nationals and reports of public memorial gatherings in Afghanistan exposed continued cross-border links and the involvement of Afghan nationals in terrorist activities targeting Pakistan.
India sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan through Afghanistan
Pakistan said India was providing material and logistical support to Afghanistan’s Taliban government to facilitate terrorist attacks against Pakistan, saying Islamabad was fully aware of the cost of what it described as India-sponsored terrorism.
Muhammad Jawad Ajmal, counsellor at Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, made the remarks while exercising Pakistan’s right of reply to comments by the Indian representative at the UN on October 7, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Thursday.
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He said India was using proxies in Afghanistan to support terrorist groups, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which Pakistan refers to as Fitna al Khawarij and Fitna al Hindustan, respectively.
Pakistan witnesses significant rise in terrorist attacks
Pakistan has witnessed a significant rise in cross-border terrorist attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021.
The country recorded its highest monthly number of militant attacks in 12 years in September 2026.
According to data compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based independent think tank that monitors anti-state violence in the region, 225 terrorist attacks were reported across Pakistan in September, up from 199 in August, marking a 13% increase. The number of attacks rose for the third consecutive month.
Islamabad has repeatedly urged Kabul to prevent its territory from being used by terrorist organisations to carry out attacks inside Pakistan.
Pakistan maintains that the Afghan Taliban authorities have failed to take effective action against groups responsible for attacks on Pakistani security forces and civilians, a claim disputed by Kabul.
Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in February 2026, months after the two countries agreed to a ceasefire in October 2025 following clashes at several points along the border.
