KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Pakistani military said Saturday that its forces killed 14 militants in a fresh operation near the country’s border with Afghanistan, bringing the death toll from two days of fighting to 47.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said the operation took place early Saturday in the Sambaza area of Balochistan province, along the mountainous frontier with Afghanistan.
Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the killed militants, according to the statement.
The military said the clash was part of an ongoing clearance mission that began late Thursday night, targeting what it described as infiltration attempts from across the border.
“The number of terrorists killed in two days of anti-infiltration operations has risen to 47,” the statement said. It described the slain fighters as “Indian-sponsored,” a claim that Afghan Taliban and India have repeatedly denied.
Violence has surged in Pakistan’s western border regions since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Islamabad accuses the Taliban of harboring the leadership of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group that has carried out deadly attacks inside Pakistan. Pakistani officials say the TTP operates from Afghan soil with impunity — a charge the Taliban reject.
The Sambaza area, part of Balochistan’s Zhob district, is a remote and rugged region that has long been a hotspot for militant activity due to its difficult terrain and porous border. The military said its operations there would continue “until the threat is eliminated.”
