Pakistan army says killed 30 militants trying to cross from Afghanistan

Pakistan's army said Friday (4 July) it had killed 30 militants attempting to cross the border from Afghanistan over the last three days, after 16 soldiers were killed in a suicide attack in the same border region last week, reports AFP.

"The security forces demonstrated exceptional professionalism, vigilance preparedness, and prevented a potential catastrophe," the military said in a statement accusing archfoe India of backing the militants.

The terrorists of an "Indian proxy" outfit were killed as they attempted to infiltrate through the Pak-Afghan border in Hassan Khel tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's North Waziristan district, Dawn reported citing the military's media wing.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.

Additionally, a statement from Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reads that on the nights of 2 July and 3 July, "movement of a large group of khwarij, belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij, who were trying to infiltrate through Pakistan-Afghanistan border, was detected by the security forces in general area Hassan Khel, North Waziristan district".

"A large number of weapons, explosives and ammunition have been recovered from the slain terrorists," the statement adds.

Fitna al Khawarij is a term used by the government for the TTP, while those associated with the terrorist group are referred to as Khaarji.