Top TTP Commander Killed in Bajaur Infiltration Bid: ISPR

News Desk 

Rawalpindi:  Security forces killed four terrorists, including a top commander of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), during an infiltration attempt along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district, the military’s media wing said on Thursday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the movement of a group of terrorists attempting to cross into Pakistan from Afghanistan was detected by security forces during the night between October 29 and 30.

“Own troops effectively engaged and thwarted the Khawarij’s attempt to infiltrate,” the ISPR said in a statement, adding that during the operation, four militants — including Amjad alias Mazahim, a senior TTP commander — were killed.

The statement described Amjad as a high-value target and “second to TTP chief Noor Wali,” as well as head of the group’s “Rehbari Shura.” The government had placed a Rs5 million bounty on his arrest. He was accused of planning and executing multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistan while operating from Afghanistan.A sanitization operation is underway in the area to clear any remaining militants as part of the ongoing counterterrorism campaign under Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, which aims to eradicate terrorism sponsored and supported from abroad.

The ISPR said the TTP leadership, based in Afghanistan, continues to orchestrate infiltration attempts into Pakistan to project an impression of domestic presence and boost the morale of militants in Bajaur and Mohmand, where security forces have conducted successful operations.

Read More: https://thepenpk.com/pakistan-agrees-to-resume-taliban-talks-at-turkiyes-request/

“It is once again reiterated that the interim Afghan government must take concrete measures to ensure that Afghan soil is not used by Khawarij proxies to perpetrate terrorism against Pakistan,” the ISPR said, adding that recent incidents reaffirm Pakistan’s stance that Afghan territory is being used as a safe haven for militants.

The statement reiterated that the armed forces remain resolute and unwavering in defending the nation’s frontiers.

The Bajaur operation came hours after security forces killed 18 India-backed terrorists belonging to the group Fitna al-Hindustan in two separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Balochistan, the ISPR added.

In the Chiltan Mountains area of Quetta, 14 militants were killed following an intense exchange of fire, while in a separate IBO in Buleda, Kech district, four more terrorists were neutralized.Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Afghan authorities to act against groups targeting Pakistan, but the Taliban regime has largely failed to curb cross-border terrorism.

Earlier this month, hostilities flared along the border after unprovoked Afghan firing on October 12, leading to clashes in which 23 Pakistani soldiers embraced martyrdom, while over 200 Taliban and affiliated militants were reportedly killed in retaliatory strikes.

Tensions eased following a temporary ceasefire on October 17, followed by Qatar-mediated talks in Doha and a second round in Istanbul, which ended inconclusively on October 29 after Pakistan termed the Taliban delegation’s position “detached from ground realities.”