The security forces of Pakistan have foiled an attempted infiltration near the Afghan border in Kurram district, at midnight on September 19 amid continuing tensions and militant activity along the frontier.
According to security sources, troops detected a group of militants, referred to by Pakistani authorities as “Khawarij”, attempting to cross into Pakistan near the Kurram section of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on 18 September.
The official authorities said that the security forces responded with fire, forcing the militants to retreat towards Afghanistan.
They also claimed that Afghan border posts attempted to provide support to the infiltrators, but that the effort was disrupted by Pakistani forces.
According to the sources, Pakistani troops subsequently targeted Afghan positions that were allegedly assisting the militants. These claims have not been independently verified.
The sources said the situation in the border area remained under the control of Pakistani security forces, which they said were maintaining a heightened state of alert against further infiltration attempts.
The reported incident comes amid continuing security tensions along Pakistan’s western border. Pakistani authorities have repeatedly accused militants of using Afghan territory to launch attacks into Pakistan, allegations that Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities have denied
According to Reuters, the recent fighting and militant attacks have also increased pressure on relations between Islamabad and Kabul.
On 18 September, a deadly attack on a police compound in Kohat, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), killed dozens of people, according to media reports.
The government of Pakistan has a clear stance on Afghan militants, saying that it wants Afghanistan to take action against militant groups operating from its territory, while maintaining that it remains open to dialogue and improved bilateral relations if cross-border militancy is addressed.
