Security forces foiled an attempt by militants to cross into Pakistan from Afghanistan in Kurram district on Saturday night, killing 12 of them in a fierce exchange of fire in which an army soldier was also martyred.
Troops spotted the movement of a group of militants near the international border on 10 October and moved to engage them, the military’s media wing said. During the attempted crossing, Afghan Taliban border posts also opened fire in support of the infiltrators, turning the encounter into an intense gun battle.
The ISPR said Pakistani troops responded with precision, killing twelve militants — a mix of the attackers and Afghan Taliban fighters — and stopping the infiltration attempt. During the exchange, Naib Subedar Hidayat Aman, 40, from Gilgit-Baltistan’s Ghizer district, fought gallantly and embraced martyrdom.
The military’s statement said the episode vindicates Pakistan’s position that the Taliban government in Kabul has failed to prevent its territory from being used by militant groups, adding that it has instead backed cross-border terrorism. The ISPR further said the regime has consistently failed to honour its international counterterrorism obligations.
A sanitisation operation is now under way in the area to eliminate any remaining militants, the statement added. The military said its counterterrorism campaign under the Azm-e-Istehkam vision would continue at full pace to root out what it called foreign-sponsored terrorism, and that the sacrifices of its soldiers reinforce its resolve to defend the country’s frontiers.
