RAWALPINDI; Security forces have killed a total of 47 India-backed militants in two separate operations in Balochistan’s Zhob district, recovering a cache of weapons, ammunition, and explosives.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), 33 militants were eliminated on the night of August 7-8 while attempting to infiltrate Pakistan through the Sambaza area along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The military’s media wing said a follow-up sanitisation operation in the vicinity resulted in the killing of 14 more militants. “Once the hunted-down terrorists were neutralised, security forces recovered weapons, ammunition, and explosives from the killed khwarij,” the ISPR stated, reaffirming the army’s resolve to safeguard the nation’s frontiers and thwart any attempts to sabotage Pakistan’s peace, stability, and progress.
The army has previously accused India of intensifying its proxy war against Pakistan following its defeat in the May conflict, warning that such proxies will meet the same crushing fate as New Delhi.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi congratulated the forces for their success, with the premier praising the troops’ courage in protecting the country and foiling the “nefarious designs” of terrorists.
Pakistan has witnessed a spike in cross-border militant activity since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
A June report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) recorded 78 terrorist attacks that month, killing at least 100 people, including 53 security personnel and 39 civilians, while injuring 189 others.
