Fifteen terrorists trying to sneak into Pakistan from its border with Afghanistan were killed by security forces, the military’s media affairs wing said on Thursday. Militants attempted to infiltrate North Waziristan district on the night of August 31-September 1, Inter-Services Public Relations said.
Highlights
- Security forces kill 15 terrorists trying to infiltrate North Waziristan
- 36-hour-long engagement after detection of infiltration attempt
- ISPR blames Afghan Taliban for not denying sanctuary to militants
- PM Shehbaz, President Zardari, Interior Minister Naqvi commend operation
- FO says progress in Afghanistan depends on verifiable action against TTP
36 Hours’ Engagement on the Border
Security forces detected the movement of militants before they could cross into Pakistani territory, ISPR said. Troops responded professionally and patiently to engage them, the statement said. The engagement lasted 36 hours before it ended. In what it called precise and skillful engagement, ISPR said 15 militants of what it calls Fitna-al-Khawarij, its name for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, were killed.
Post-operation, security forces carried out a sanitization of the area in which large quantities of weapons and ammunition were recovered from the slain militants. “This further exposed the nefarious designs of the militants and their facilitators aiming to disrupt peace and stability in the country,” ISPR said.
On night 31 August- 1 September 2026, movement of a group of khwarij belonging to Indian sponsored Fitna Al Khwarij, who were trying to infiltrate through Pakistan-Afghanistan border opposite North Waziristan District, was picked up by the security forces. Own troops responded… pic.twitter.com/k5BsDN0Tzg
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) September 3, 2026
ISPR reiterates criticism of Afghan Taliban
The incident was “yet another proof of the long-standing concern” of Pakistan, said the statement. The incident along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, ISPR said, “once again vindicates Pakistan’s stance on the failure of the so-called Afghan Taliban regime to deny militant groups operating under its patronage the use of Afghan soil for cross-border attacks. The statement said the Taliban administration has failed to effectively manage its border or honor its international obligations.
An ISPR statement said that a sanitization operation is underway in the area to flush out any other militants believed to be present. The military said this was part of its wider Azm-i-Istehkam campaign, which has been given the green signal by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, and security forces and law enforcement agencies would continue working at full pace to eliminate foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country.
Leadership Commends Operation
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lauded the security forces for foiling the infiltration attempt, said state-run PTV. “The security forces with utmost professional skill, patience and courage have reduced the impure intentions of the terrorists to dust,” he said. He said the Azm-i-Istehkam campaign against terrorism would continue with full force till the threat is uprooted from the country entirely.
President Asif Ali Zardari too praised the operation in a statement issued by the Presidency. He said that the resolve of the security forces to defend the borders of the beloved homeland and protect peace and stability was praiseworthy and added that no permission would be given to the terrorist elements working under foreign patronage to spread unrest in Pakistan.
Echoing similar sentiments, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the security forces had reduced the enemy’s evil designs to dust, a statement from his ministry said.
Diplomatic Pressure on Afghanistan Persists
The latest incident comes as Islamabad continues to pressure Kabul to end the use of Afghan territory by militant groups targeting Pakistan. The Foreign Office reiterated on Wednesday that meaningful progress in bilateral relations depended on the Taliban taking concrete, verifiable action against TTP and other groups operating from Afghan soil, despite recent diplomatic movement suggesting renewed efforts to ease tensions between the two countries.
This diplomatic activity includes a visit to Islamabad by Chinese Special Envoy Yue Xiaoyong to revive the Urumqi process to prevent further escalation between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Afghan Ambassador Sardar Shakeb has also been invited to address the National Defense University, indicating that avenues of engagement are still open amid continuing tensions.
But Islamabad says it has seen little evidence that the Taliban have done more than contain TTP activity. The most recent report from the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team said the Taliban relocated some 2,000 TTP fighters and their families from areas bordering Pakistan, and that Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada had cautioned the group against attacking Pakistan. But the same report noted that the Taliban continues to support the TTP as the group has increased its attacks and expanded its organizational structure. For Islamabad, the transfer of fighters is not the same as dismantling the command, training and logistical networks that remain at the heart of its concerns.
