• 17 TTP men gunned down in North Waziristan; four in Kohat, D.I. Khan, according to military’s media wing
• President commends security forces, urges Kabul to prevent use of Afghan soil for terrorism

ISLAMABAD: Twenty-one terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed by security forces in multiple operations between Sept 3 and Sept 5, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Sunday.

According to the army’s media wing, of the 21, 10 terrorists holed up in the area were part of a group that was initially intercepted on the night of Aug 31 and Sept 1 while trying to enter Pakistan from Afghanistan through North Waziristan. In the Aug 31 engagement, 15 terrorists were killed, while 10 more were killed between Sept 3 and Sept 5, taking the total number to 25.

In a separate operation in North Waziristan, the forces detected the movement of another group along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. As a result of precise and skillful engagement, seven TTP militants were killed, said the military’s media wing.

Similarly, four more militants were killed in two different encounters in Kohat and Dera Ismail Khan districts during joint operations, the ISPR added.

“These repeated incidents along Pakistan-Afghanistan border have once again vindicated Pakistan’s persistent stance regarding the abject failure of the Afghan Taliban Regime to deny the use of Afghan soil to the terrorist organisation, under their patronage, for cross-border terrorism,” the statement noted.

ISPR said the Afghan Taliban consistently failed to ensure effective border management and honour their international counter-terrorism obligations.

President lauds forces

In a statement issued by his office, President Asif Ali Zardari paid tribute to the security forces for the successful engagements. “The president commended the professional capabilities of security forces for successful operations against khawarij attempting to infiltrate across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border,” the statement said. He said that defending the country’s borders and eliminating terrorism were among the government’s top priorities. President Zardari urged the Taliban to prevent the use of Afghan soil by terrorists.

Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for the banned TTP.

Blaming the terror surge on Kabul, Islamabad continues to stress that the Afghan Taliban put an end to the use of Afghan soil by terrorists, particularly for attacks in Pakistan. But despite recent diplomatic developments suggesting a renewed push to ease tensions between the two states, the Foreign Office on Wednesday remained firm that meaningful progress in relations would depend on the Taliban taking concrete and verifiable action against TTP and other terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2026