The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday that a “high-value target” identified as a commander of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was among four terrorists killed after security forces thwarted an attempt to infiltrate the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.In a statement, the military’s media affairs wing said that last night the movement of a group of khwarij attempting to infiltrate through the Pakistan-Afghanistan border was picked up by security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district. 

“Own troops effectively engaged and thwarted khwarijs’ attempt to infiltrate. As a result of precise and skilful engagement, four khwarij, including kharji leader, a high-value target kharji Amjad alias Mazahim, were sent to hell,” the ISPR said. The statement further said that the militant leader was the deputy of TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud and the head of Rehbari Shura of Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the TTP. 

The ISPR said the militant leader was wanted by law enforcement agencies and the government had allocated a bounty of Rs5 million on him as he remained “actively involved in perpetuating numerous terrorist activities inside Pakistan while residing in Afghanistan”. “It is pertinent to highlight that the leadership of Fitna al Khawarij, while residing in Afghanistan, is orchestrating infiltration attempts into Pakistan — primarily to project an impression of domestic presence and to raise the diminishing morale of their khwarij in Bajaur and Mohmand because of effective operations of security forces,” the ISPR said.“

It is once again reiterated that the interim Afghan government must take concrete measures to ensure that Afghan soil is not used by kharji proxies to perpetrate terrorism against Pakistan,” the ISPR said. “It also validates our stance that Afghan soil is continuously being used as [a] safe [haven] by khwarij belonging to Fitna al Khwarij against Pakistan,” it said.President Asif Ali Zardari lauded security forces for foiling the infiltration by India-backed Fitna al-Khwarij in Bajaur. In a post on social media platform X, he praised the troops’ courage and reaffirmed that the nation stands united under Azm-i-Istehkam to eliminate all terrorist elements. 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)