ZHOB: Security forces have reportedly eliminated 47 terrorists attempting to breach the Afghan border and infiltrate the Zhob district of Balochistan, security officials confirmed on Tuesday.
Sources indicated that a sizable group of militants, linked to the Indian-backed group Fitna al-Khwaraj—a term associated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)—was attempting to cross the Pak-Afghan border in the Sambaza area of Zhob. The movement was detected by security agencies, prompting a targeted operation.
The operation, conducted from August 7 to August 9, resulted in the killing of all 47 militants involved, according to the officials. Most of those killed were identified as Afghan nationals.
The security situation along Pakistan’s western border has escalated since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, with numerous cross-border terror incidents reported, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
A recent report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based think tank, detailed a spike in violence during June, with 78 terrorist attacks leading to at least 100 fatalities. The casualties included 53 security personnel, 39 civilians, six militants, and two local peace committee members.
The month also saw 189 injuries, comprising 126 security personnel and 63 civilians. Overall, June’s violence resulted in the deaths of 175 individuals—55 security personnel, 77 militants, 41 civilians, and two peace committee members—highlighting the ongoing security challenges in the region.
