A senior commander of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was among four terrorists killed as Pakistani security forces thwarted an infiltration attempt along the Pak-Afghan border in Bajaur district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.
The military’s media wing confirmed that troops detected the movement of a group of khwarij attempting to cross into Pakistan from Afghanistan late Wednesday night.
According to the ISPR, security personnel “effectively engaged and neutralised” the infiltrators in a precise operation, killing four terrorists, including high-value target Amjad alias Mazahim, a deputy to TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud and head of the group’s Rehbari Shura.
The statement said that Amjad carried a Rs5 million bounty and was “actively involved in orchestrating numerous terrorist attacks inside Pakistan while operating from Afghanistan.”
ISPR added that the incident highlights how leaders of Fitna al Khawarij — the state’s term for TTP-linked militants — continue to use Afghan territory to plot attacks and bolster the morale of remaining operatives in Bajaur and Mohmand.
“The interim Afghan government must take concrete measures to ensure Afghan soil is not used by khwarij proxies against Pakistan,” the ISPR reiterated.
Earlier in the day, the military reported 18 more terrorists killed in two separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Balochistan’s Quetta and Kech districts.
In the Chiltan mountain range, troops engaged militants from “Indian proxy Fitna al-Hindustan,” killing 14 terrorists after a fierce exchange of fire. Another four were killed in Buleda, Kech district, where a hideout was destroyed and weapons and explosives recovered.
ISPR said sanitisation operations are ongoing to eliminate any remaining militants. President Asif Ali Zardari praised the security forces, saying their actions reflect the nation’s determination to eradicate terrorism and foreign-sponsored violence.
