Pakistan security forces kill 16 militants trying to infiltrate from Afghanistan

Pakistan’s security forces killed 16 militants attempting to infiltrate from Afghanistan, the military said on Sunday.

The group tried to cross into Pakistan’s North Waziristan district on the night of March 22-23. Troops detected their movement near Ghulam Khan Kallay and engaged them in a gunfight, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

“Own troops effectively engaged and thwarted their attempt to infiltrate. After an intense fire exchange, all sixteen Khwarij were sent to hell,” the statement said, using a term Pakistan uses for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Pakistan has repeatedly urged Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government to prevent militants from using its territory to launch attacks.

“The Interim Afghan Government is expected to fulfill its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by Khwarij for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan,” the ISPR added.

The attack comes amid rising militant violence in Pakistan’s northwestern region since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021. Police and security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have been frequent targets.

According to the Global Terrorism Index 2025, Pakistan is now the world’s second most terrorism-affected country, with a 45% rise in terror-related deaths while global incidents have declined by 13%.

Pakistan’s military has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of sheltering TTP fighters, a claim the Taliban denies. In December 2024, Pakistan carried out airstrikes on suspected TTP hideouts in Afghanistan’s Paktika province, underscoring the cross-border tensions.