RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s security forces killed eight terrorists and injured four others as they thwarted an infiltration attempt on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the North Waziristan district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military’s media wing said on Sunday.
Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror attacks over the past year, especially in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, after the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.
Pakistani military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), stated the clash occurred on the night of April 5-6 when the movement of terrorists attempting to infiltrate Pakistan was detected in the Hassan Khel area of the North Waziristan district. Security forces swiftly responded, leading to an intense exchange of fire, ISPR stated.
“The infiltrators were effectively engaged, resulting in eight Khawarij (terrorists of banned TTP) eliminated and four injured,” the ISPR statement read.
Pakistan has repeatedly called on the interim Afghan government to strengthen border management and prevent its territory from being used as a base for launching attacks against Pakistan.
Pakistan has consistently been asking the Interim Afghan Government to ensure effective border management on their side of the border.
“The interim Afghan Government is expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by Khwarij (terrorists) for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan,” the military’s statement emphasized.
Sanitization operation is being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area. “Pakistan’s security forces are determined and remain committed to secure its borders and wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country,” the military’s media wing stated.
The failed infiltration attempt follows another one in late March in North Waziristan. Security forces had foiled that attempt and killed 16 terrorists.
Days later, 11 terrorists were killed in four different encounters with security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — 10 of whom were eliminated in different areas of North Waziristan.
Terrorist violence and security operations intensified in Pakistan in March, with the number of terror attacks surpassing 100 for the first time since November 2014, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, at least 206 people were killed — including 49 security personnel, 34 civilians, and 123 terrorists — while 115 were injured, with 63 security personnel and 49 civilians among them, the PICSS report said.
