Pakistani security forces eliminated 33 terrorists in a decisive operation while foiling an attempted infiltration across the Pakistan–Afghanistan border near Sambaza in Balochistan’s Zhob District, the military’s media wing confirmed on Friday.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the militants belonged to the India-sponsored outfit “Fitna al Khwaraj”, a term used for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Troops detected the large group on the night of August 7–8 and engaged them in a precise, bold, and coordinated operation, killing all 33 combatants.
A significant cache of weapons, ammunition, and explosives was recovered, while a sanitisation operation continues to ensure the area is cleared of any remaining threats.
The ISPR reaffirmed that Pakistan’s armed forces remain resolute in defending the country’s borders and eradicating “Indian-sponsored terrorism” from its soil.
The incident comes amid a recent spike in militant activity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan following the TTP’s withdrawal from a ceasefire in late 2022. Pakistan currently ranks second on the Global Terrorism Index 2025.
Just two days earlier, three Pakistan Army personnel, including decorated officer Major Muhammad Rizwan Tahir, were martyred when militants targeted a military vehicle with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Balochistan’s Mastung District on the night of August 5–6. The attack, claimed by “Fitna al Hindustan,” another proxy allegedly backed by Indian intelligence, also killed Naik Ibni Amin and Lance Naik Muhammad Younas.
In retaliation, security forces conducted a targeted operation, killing four militants linked to the Mastung assault.
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