Three terrorists trying to infiltrate Dir from Afghanistan 'sent to hell': ISPR

RAWALPINDI: Three terrorists attempting to cross the Afghan border into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's (KP) Dir district have been neutralised by security forces, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Monday.

"On the night between July 21 and 22, 2024, the movement of three terrorists, trying to infiltrate the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, was detected by security forces in District Dir," said the military's media wing.

It said that the infiltrators were surrounded, effectively engaged and after an intense fire exchange, all three terrorists were "sent to hell".

The military's media wing stated, "Pakistan has consistently been asking 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 terrorists for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.

"Security forces of Pakistan were determined and remain committed to securing its borders and eliminating the menace of terrorism from the country," it added.

The country has been witnessing a rise in terrorist attacks, especially in KP and Balochistan, during recent months. The last terrorist attack came last week when two soldiers and five civilians were martyred in DI Khan.

This was the second terrorist attack in a period of 24 hours as eight other soldiers were martyred while trying to foil a terrorist infiltration into Bannu Cantonment in the wee hours of July 15.

Islamabad has time and again called on the Afghan Taliban administration in Kabul to prevent its soil from being used by banned militant outfits for terrorist attacks against Pakistan.

Last month, the government approved the launching of operation "Azm-e-Istehkam", a renewed national anti-terror drive, in light of the growing menace of militancy.

The country, during the second quarter of 2024 witnessed 380 violence-linked fatalities and 220 injuries among civilians, security personnel, and outlaws, resulting from as many as 240 incidents of terror attacks and counter-terror operations, said a Security Studies (CRSS) Annual Security report.

This includes 236 fatalities among civilians and security forces personnel, the report said.

KP and Balochistan, both of which share borders with neighbouring Afghanistan, have faced the brunt of the terrorist attacks and reported nearly 92% of all fatalities and 87% of attacks — wherein the former suffered 67% and the latter 25% of all fatalities in Q2, 2024.