Pakistan’s security forces killed 12 militants and Afghan Taliban personnel while foiling a cross border infiltration attempt in Kurram district, the military’s media wing said on Sunday. Naib Subedar Hidayat Aman, 40, embraced martyrdom during the intense exchange of fire with the infiltrators.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the movement of a group of khawarij attempting to approach the international border from Afghanistan was detected on October 10. Security forces engaged the group with precision and stopped the infiltration before it could reach populated areas inside Pakistan.
How the infiltration attempt was detected
According to the ISPR, troops maintaining a high state of alertness and vigilance picked up the movement of the group as it approached the international border from the Afghan side. The forces effectively engaged the intruders near the border in the Kurram sector.
The military said Afghan Taliban posts also opened fire to support the infiltration attempt. Despite the incoming fire, Pakistani troops maintained their positions and responded with what the ISPR described as skilful and precise engagement, killing 12 khawarij and Afghan Taliban personnel.
The development comes as Pakistan continues to carry out counterterrorism operations along the western border. Only days earlier, security forces killed nine terrorists, including four commanders, in a counterterrorism operation in North Waziristan, and the fighting along the Afghan border now appears to be intensifying across multiple districts.
Soldier martyred in the exchange of fire
The ISPR identified the martyred soldier as Naib Subedar Hidayat Aman, 40, a resident of Ghizer district in Gilgit-Baltistan. The military said he fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice and embraced martyrdom during the intense exchange of fire.
The military paid tribute to the soldier, saying the sacrifices of security personnel in protecting the country’s borders strengthen Pakistan’s resolve to fight terrorism.
ISPR blames Afghan Taliban regime
The ISPR said the incident along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border once again vindicated Pakistan’s “objective and factual stance” regarding what it called the wilful failure of the Afghan Taliban regime to deny the use of Afghan soil to terrorist organisations.
The statement alleged that the regime instead facilitates and patronises cross border terrorism and has consistently failed to honour its international counterterrorism obligations. Pakistani officials have repeatedly urged Kabul to act against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and other groups using Afghan territory, but say no effective action has followed.
The border clash comes at a moment of heightened tension between the two countries. Pakistan has carried out retaliatory strikes across the border in recent days after earlier exchanges of fire, and diplomatic channels have remained strained.
Sanitisation operation underway
The ISPR said a sanitisation operation is underway in the area to eliminate any remaining khawarij, whom it described as Indian-sponsored. Security forces routinely conduct such clearance operations after border engagements to ensure no militants remain hidden in the rugged terrain.
The military reaffirmed its commitment to defending the country’s frontiers, adding that security forces and law enforcement agencies would continue their counterterrorism campaign under the “Azm-e-Istehkam” vision, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, to eliminate foreign sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.
Border pressure rises amid KP emergency
The Kurram infiltration attempt took place on the same day the federal government imposed an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, citing the deteriorating security situation in the province and the provincial government’s detachment from the fight against terrorism.
Kurram is one of the former tribal districts most exposed to cross border attacks, and officials have warned that militant groups are trying to exploit the political uncertainty. Pakistan’s recent anti-terror cooperation pact with Turkiye also signals that Islamabad is seeking wider international support for its counterterrorism campaign. Read more in PakMirror’s national news coverage.
