A Pakistan Army soldier was martyred while 12 militants belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij and Afghan Taliban personnel were killed after an attempted infiltration from Afghanistan into Kurram district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Sunday.
According to a statement issued by the military’s media wing, security forces detected the movement of a group of militants attempting to reach the international border from Afghanistan on October 10 and engaged them effectively.
The ISPR said Afghan Taliban posts opened fire on Pakistani troops to facilitate the infiltration attempt despite heightened vigilance along the border. The ensuing exchange of fire resulted in the deaths of 12 militants and Afghan Taliban personnel.
However, Naib Subedar Hidayat Aman, 40, from Ghizer district, embraced martyrdom during the clash.
The military said the incident reinforced Pakistan’s concerns over the Afghan Taliban regime’s alleged failure to prevent terrorist groups from operating on Afghan soil, accusing it of facilitating cross-border terrorism and failing to meet its international counterterrorism obligations.
A clearance operation is continuing in the area to track down any remaining militants, whom the ISPR described as Indian-sponsored Fitna al-Khawarij.
Reiterating its resolve to protect the country’s borders, the military said security forces and law enforcement agencies would continue counterterrorism operations under the Azm-e-Istehkam framework, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, to eliminate foreign-sponsored terrorism.
The statement said the sacrifices of security personnel reflected the country’s determination to defend its people and territorial integrity.
The latest incident comes two days after security forces killed seven militants during an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The operation, conducted under the Azm-e-Istehkam framework, targeted what the ISPR described as India-backed militants, with several of their hideouts also destroyed.
Pakistan has experienced an increase in cross-border terrorist attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
