29 terrorists killed in major Pak-Afghan border operation by security forces

 In a statement, the minister said that the targeted strikes came subsequent to “several terrorist attacks within Pakistan, targeting civilians in Balochistan, Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) Camp, Karachi and Khyber Pakthunkhwa”.

The state uses the term Fitna al Khawarij to designate members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Terrorists initiated an attack on a Pakistan Rangers Sindh local headquarters in Karachi's Gulistan-i-Jauhar area, leading to the martyrdom of three security personnel on Saturday night, as per the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The ISPR said in an official statement, that the aggressors were of the "Indian proxy, Jamaatul Ahrar". He also added that security forces countered without delay, taking out three terrorists and capturing another during the operation.

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Security sources later recognized the arrested suspect as Usman Ali, who admitted entering Pakistan a week earlier via Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar noted that on June 28, security forces carried out an intelligence-based ground operation aiming a group of terrorists near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through a post on X,

He declared that the operation led to the killing of high-value khawarji commander Khan Farosh, also known as Zabal, along with three members of the Indian proxy Jamaatul Ahrar, while several other militants sustained injuries during the engagement.

Tarar said the latest action was part of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, under which security forces carried out precision strikes on terrorist camps and hideouts linked to Jamaatul Ahrar and Fitna al Khawarij during the night of June 28-29 along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

He said the strikes targeted three locations in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar, where 25 terrorists were killed. The operation also destroyed large caches of weapons and ammunition reportedly stored at the militant hideouts.

Emphasising Pakistan's stance, Tarar said the country remained committed to regional peace and stability but would not compromise on the safety and security of its citizens.

He added that Pakistan's counterterrorism campaign under Azm-i-Istehkam, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, would continue at full strength, with security forces and law enforcement agencies working to eliminate what he described as foreign-sponsored terrorism.

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Earlier this month, Pakistan carried out similar strikes on militant hideouts along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, killing 26 terrorists. At the time, Tarar had said the precision operation targeted the hideouts and safe havens of Fitna al Khawarij, resulting in the deaths of 26 terrorists allegedly backed by India.

Current Pak-Afghan allegiances

Ever since the Afghan Taliban assumed power in Kabul in 2021, Pakistan has seen an extended wave of militant violence.

The Pakistani government has repeatedly called on the Taliban-led administration to eliminate terrorist safe havens inside Afghanistan, particularly those associated with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). However, Islamabad maintains that its concerns have largely gone unanswered.

Operation Ghazab lil-Haq was initiated on the night of February 26 after Pakistani officials said Afghan Taliban forces opened unprovoked fire across the border.

The operation was temporarily suspended for five days from March 18 to 23 to mark Eidul Fitr. Following the pause, the Foreign Office said the campaign would resume and continue until its stated objectives were fulfilled.

Both Pakistan and Afghanistan also announced brief pauses in hostilities after mediation and de-escalation efforts by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye, according to official statements from the two countries.

Earlier in March, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir said lasting peace between Pakistan and Afghanistan would only be possible if the Taliban government ended its support for terrorism and militant groups.

At the diplomatic level, China has continued efforts to ease tensions between Islamabad and Kabul. After facilitating their first round of talks in Urumqi, Xinjiang, in April, Beijing is reportedly planning a second meeting to sustain dialogue and advance the reconciliation process, according to sources familiar with the discussions.