Pakistan’s army says it killed 30 fighters trying to cross Afghan border

Islamabad has blamed India for backing groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan, something New Delhi denies.

Pakistan’s army has said it has killed 30 fighters who tried to cross the border from Afghanistan, just days after a suicide attack in the same region killed 16 Pakistani soldiers.

The fighters, who all died in the last three days, belonged to the Pakistan Taliban or its affiliates, according to the Pakistani military, which praised its troops for preventing “a potential catastrophe” on Friday.

One faction of the Pakistan Taliban, which is a separate group from the Afghan Taliban, claimed responsibility for a suicide blast last week in the border district of North Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The Pakistani army’s killing of the fighters took place in the same district.

Although a statement from the country’s military did not give details about its operation against the fighters, it confirmed that it had seized a “large quantity of weapons, ammunition and explosives”.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised his country’s security forces on Friday for “thwarting an infiltration attempt”.

“We are determined to completely eliminate all forms of terrorism from the country,” his office said.

Both the prime minister and the army’s statements blamed India for backing the fighters.

Although New Delhi is yet to comment on the latest accusation, it has repeatedly denied claims from Islamabad that it is fomenting violence in Pakistan.

(Al Jazeera)

Such accusations have increased in recent months as tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours have soared.

During a four-day conflict between them in May, 70 people on both sides were killed, and the regional foes were on the cusp of their fifth all-out war since independence.

The fighting broke out after India accused Pakistan of supporting gunmen who killed 26 people in the disputed Kashmir region on April 22. Islamabad denied any involvement.

Violence in Pakistan’s border areas has spiked since the Taliban seized power again in Afghanistan, in 2021, with last year the deadliest in a decade.

Pakistan’s government increased defence spending by 20% in June, with 14% of the country’s overall budget assigned to the army.

Source:

Al Jazeera and news agencies