By Staff Reporter
QUETTA: Pakistani security forces killed 33 militants attempting to infiltrate from Afghanistan into the country’s southwestern Balochistan province, the military said on Friday, in one of the deadliest recent encounters along the volatile border.
“On night 7/8 August 2025, movement of a large group of khwarij, belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khwaraj, who were trying to infiltrate through Pakistan-Afghanistan border, was detected by the security forces in the general area Sambaza, Zhob District of Balochistan,”the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said in a statement.
“Own troops effectively engaged and thwarted their attempt to infiltrate,” the ISPR said. “As result of precise, bold and skillful engagement, thirty three Indian sponsored khwarij were sent to hell. A large cache of weapons, ammunition & explosives was also recovered.”
Islamabad says the TTP’s leadership is based in Afghanistan and receives support from India, a charge both Kabul and New Delhi have denied. The TTP, which the Pakistani state refers to as Fitna al Khwaraj, a term drawn from Islamic history denoting a violent rebel group, has been blamed for hundreds of attacks.
The military stressed that Pakistan’s security forces “remain resolute and unwavering in their commitment to defend the nation’s frontiers and to eradicate the menace of Indian-sponsored terrorism from the country”.
Pakistan has seen an uptick in terror activities, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces, since the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. Last month, 30 terrorists from an “Indian proxy” outfit were killed during a similar infiltration attempt in Hassan Khel tehsil of KP’s North Waziristan district.
President Asif Ali Zardari praised the Pakistan Army for the successful operation in Zhob, lauding the “courage, professionalism and timely action of the armed forces in defending the country’s borders”, according to a statement.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also paid tribute, calling the operation “a remarkable success” in Pakistan’s ongoing fight against terrorism. “Our brave soldiers risked their lives to foil this infiltration attempt and crushed the nefarious designs of the terrorists,” he said in a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
In a related incident, a soldier from the Federal Constabulary was killed and three others injured in a quadcopter strike on a security post in Bannu district’s Takhtikhel Bakkakhel area on Friday. A police official said militants from the Fitna al-Khawarij group carried out the attack by dropping ammunition from a quadcopter, which exploded on impact. Two injured lance naiks were taken to hospital for treatment.
Also Friday, police and security forces destroyed three terrorist hideouts and arrested seven facilitators in a joint intelligence-based operation in Bannu’s Havaid area. The operation, involving armoured personnel carriers, included a house-to-house search, a police official said. Security forces seized a loader rickshaw and two motorcycles from the hideouts. Residents were asked to remain indoors during the operation and warned of legal action if they provided shelter or assistance to militants.
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