RAWALPINDI: At least 16 terrorists were neutralised after security forces successfully thwarted a bid to infiltrate the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military's media wing said on Sunday.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces detected a group of terrorists attempting to cross the Afghan border in North Waziristan's Ghulam Khan Kallay area.
"Own troops effectively engaged and thwarted their attempt to infiltrate. After an intense fire exchange, all sixteen Khwarij [terrorists] were sent to hell,” said the ISPR in the statement, using the term designating members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
It noted that Pakistan has consistently been asking the interim Afghan government to ensure effective border management on their side of the border.
"Interim Afghan government is expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by Khwarij for perpetrating acts of terrorism against Pakistan," it added.
The statement said security forces are determined and remain committed to securing its borders and eliminating the menace of terrorism from the country.
The two nations share a porous border spanning around 2,500 kilometres with several crossing points which hold significance as a key element of regional trade and relations between the people across both sides of the fence.
However, the issue of terrorism remains a key issue for Pakistan which has urged Afghanistan to prevent its soil from being used by groups such as the TTP to carry out attacks inside the former’s territory.
Islamabad’s reservations have also been confirmed by a report submitted to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which has revealed a nexus between Kabul and the TTP with the former providing logistical, operational and financial support to the latter.
Earlier in Jan, security forces killed six terrorists trying to infiltrate from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Zhob district of Balochistan.
In a statement, the military’s media wing said security forces intercepted the militants on the night of January 22-23 in the district's Sambaza area.
“Own troops effectively engaged and thwarted their [terrorists] attempt to infiltrate. Resultantly, six khwarij [terrorists] were sent to hell,” it added.
The country witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42% compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think tank.
The data revealed that at least 74 militant attacks were recorded nationwide, resulting in 91 fatalities, including 35 security personnel, 20 civilians, and 36 militants. Another 117 individuals sustained injuries, including 53 security forces personnel, 54 civilians, and 10 militants.
KP remained the worst-affected province, followed by Balochistan. In KP's settled districts, militants carried out 27 attacks, resulting in 19 fatalities, including 11 security personnel, six civilians, and two militants.
The tribal districts of KP (erstwhile Fata) witnessed 19 attacks, leading to 46 deaths, including 13 security personnel, eight civilians, and 25 militants.