KARACHI: 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 cross-border encounters.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused neighboring Afghanistan of harboring militants responsible for cross-border attacks, particularly members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella group of insurgent factions reportedly operating from sanctuaries across the border.
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.
“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 general area Sambaza, Zhob District of Balochistan,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
