ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s security forces have foiled coordinated infiltration attempts by two groups of militants attempting to cross from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, killing 25 militants, including four suicide bombers, the military said on Sunday.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the movements of the infiltrating groups were detected on 24–25 October in the Ghaki area of Kurram District and in Spinwam, North Waziristan District, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“Own troops effectively engaged these groups of khwarij,” the statement said, adding that “as a result of precise and skillful engagements, 15 khwarij including four suicide bombers belonging to the Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij were sent to hell in Spinwam, while another ten were killed in Ghaki.”
A large quantity of weapons, ammunition and explosives was recovered from the militants.
Islamabad uses the term “Khawarij” for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), invoking a historical label for an extremist sect in early Islam that rejected legitimate authority and declared other Muslims to be apostates.
ISPR confirmed that five Pakistan Army soldiers were martyred during the exchange of fire.
The fallen were identified as Havildar Manzoor Hussain, 35, from Ghizar; Sepoy Nauman Ilyas Kiyani, 23, from Poonch; Sepoy Muhammad Adil, 24, from Kasur; Sepoy Shah Jehan, 25, from Vehari; and Sepoy Ali Asghar, 25, from Pakpattan.
The statement said the soldiers “fought gallantly and paid the ultimate sacrifice while defending the nation.”
The military noted that the infiltration attempts came as Pakistani and Afghan delegations are engaged in talks in Türkiye, saying the timing “casts doubt on the intentions of the interim Afghan government regarding the issue of terrorism emanating from its soil.”
Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Afghan authorities to ensure effective border management and fulfill commitments under the Doha Agreement, including preventing the use of Afghan territory for attacks against Pakistan.
ISPR reaffirmed that Pakistan’s security forces “remain resolute and unwavering in their commitment to defend the nation’s frontiers,” adding that the sacrifices of the martyred soldiers “further strengthen our resolve.”
A sanitization operation is currently underway in the area, and the military said the counterterrorism campaign under the framework of Azm-e-Istehkam, as approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, will continue with full determination to eliminate foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country.
