Eight militants killed in Pakistan border operation near Afghanistan: military

Pakistan’s military said on Thursday that eight militants were killed during an operation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in North Waziristan, a district in the country’s northwest long affected by insurgency.

In a statement, the military’s media wing said security forces detected the movement of a group of militants on April 1 and engaged them in the border area, resulting in their deaths.

The military said the individuals, dubbed “Fitna al Khwarij,” were linked to what it described as Indian-backed, adding that weapons and ammunition were also recovered from their possession. The term is used by the state for militants associated with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The statement also highlighted concerns over cross-border security, urging Afghanistan’s interim authorities to prevent militant groups from using their territory to stage attacks inside Pakistan.

Pakistan’s security forces remain committed to countering militancy and securing the frontier, the statement added, noting that a follow-up clearance operation is underway in the area.

The operation comes amid broader counterterrorism efforts under the government’s “Azm-e-Istehkam” campaign, aimed at curbing militant violence and stabilizing border regions.