By Khawaja Hamza

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan’s security forces foiled an infiltration attempt along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Kurram district, killing 12 Khwarij and Afghan Taliban personnel, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Sunday.

According to the ISPR, the movement of a group of Khwarij attempting to enter Pakistan from Afghanistan was detected along the international border on October 10. Security forces, maintaining a high level of alertness and vigilance, effectively engaged the group and thwarted the infiltration attempt.

The statement said Afghan Taliban posts also opened fire in support of the infiltrating group. However, the precise response by Pakistani troops resulted in the killing of 12 Khwarij and Afghan Taliban personnel.

During the intense exchange of fire, Naib Subedar Hidayat Aman, 40, a resident of Ghizer district, fought gallantly and embraced martyrdom, the ISPR said.

The military’s media wing stated that the incident once again supported Pakistan’s position that the Afghan Taliban regime had failed to prevent terrorist organisations from using Afghan territory for cross-border attacks. It alleged that the regime was facilitating and patronising such activities instead of fulfilling its international counterterrorism obligations.

The ISPR added that a sanitisation operation was under way in the area to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored Khwarij who might be present.

It further stated that Pakistan’s security forces and law enforcement agencies would continue counterterrorism operations under the vision of **Azm-e-Istehkam**, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, with full intensity to eliminate foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.

The statement reaffirmed that Pakistan’s security forces remain determined to defend the country’s borders and that the sacrifices of its personnel strengthen their commitment to protecting the nation’s territorial integrity at all costs.