Pakistani forces kill 23 fighters in wave of Afghan border raids

"Pakistani security forces have killed 23 fighters in two separate raids near the Afghan border as tensions simmer between Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan and India. Forces launched a targeted operation on Wednesday in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Kurram District, the military said in a statement on social media, referring to the fighters as khawarij, the term it uses for banned groups, including the Pakistan Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)."

"The killings add to more than 30 that the military has reported throughout the week as it carried out raids largely in the same province, following an Islamabad suicide bombing on November 11 that killed at least 12 people and wounded 30 more. Without providing evidence, Minister Shehbaz Sharif blamed India for the attack, while Pakistani Minister of Defence Khawaja Asif also implicated Afghanistan. Last week, Pakistan arrested four members of an Afghan cell it accused of taking part."

Pakistani security forces conducted targeted operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Kurram District, killing 23 fighters in two separate raids that produced intense exchanges of fire and no reported Pakistani military casualties. The military labeled the fighters khawarij, a term used for banned groups including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The killings add to more than 30 reported fatalities from raids across the province during the week after an Islamabad suicide bombing on November 11 that killed at least 12 and wounded 30. Pakistani ministers blamed India and Afghanistan without providing evidence, while New Delhi and Kabul denied involvement. Peace talks in Istanbul ended without resolution, though a fragile ceasefire reportedly holds. The Pakistan Taliban has intensified attacks since the 2021 Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

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