North Waziristan, Pakistan — July 4, 2025 — Pakistan’s military reported today that their security forces successfully foiled an attempt by Afghan infiltrators to gain entry into Pakistan via Afghanistan by killing 30 terrorists linked to “Fitna al Khawarij”, described by officials as an “Indian proxy.” The operation took place overnight from July 1-3 in Hassan Khel in North Waziristan near its border with Afghanistan.
Operation and Outcome Its According to a statement released by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military confirmed its troops detected terrorist infiltration and engaged them, eventually neutralizing all 30 militants within minutes during a well-coordinated response, both on Instagram and Dawn News sites (@instagram, @dawn, +4 etc). For more details: (instagram.com, dawn news +4, dunyanews tv etc).
Pakistani forces recovered an extensive arsenal from these militants that included rifles, explosives and ammunition that further demonstrated how serious this operation was. For more details on this topic, see this Wikipedia entry en.wikipedia.org: “Tactical operation against militants”, also by “Linderi.”
ISPR sources identified the infiltrators as members of “Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij,” a term employed by Pakistan to refer to Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters allegedly supported by external players (see: Wikipedia and TPP/JTTP Fighters who may receive financial backing from external actors, for more details, visittribune.com.pk for example), along with Dawn News Service’s reporting ( see: En.Wikipedia and Tribune for example).
Claims & Counterclaims
Pakistani authorities have raised allegations against India of supporting anti-state militant groups operating out of Afghan territory, though this accusation has been repeatedly disproved by both New Delhi and Kabul. Pakistan also appealed to Afghanistan to more strictly control its soil to avoid acting as a springboard for violence against them (en.wikipedia.org; Tribune.com.pk and dunyanews.tv all feature articles).
Political and Security Context
This high-casualty border incident follows a widespread upsurge in militant activity across Pakistan’s western provinces, particularly Punjab province. A previous operation in April resulted in 54 militant deaths during border clashes – raising to 71 over four days–bringing Pakistan’s four-day surge total up to 71 deaths overall. These intensified operations are part of Operation Azm-e-Istehkam launched in June 2024 which represents its counterterrorism effort through military and socio-economic measures (http://enwikipedia.org).
President Asif Ali Zardari and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi expressed national support for sustained action against terrorist threats by commending the armed forces in public, according to apnews.com and Wikipedia respectively.
North Waziristan Remains Volatile North Waziristan is still an unstable region characterized by rugged terrain and cross-border insurgent movements, even with a 4-meter border barrier in place. Militants continue to exploit gaps in monitoring and security infrastructure. According to Tribune.com.pk (@tribunecompk), militants continue exploit gaps for cross-border insurgent movements through gaps exploited in monitoring systems (@tribune.com.pk, @tribunecompk/wikipedia), as reported on en wikipedia (@en wikipedia).
Military officials said their latest operation “averted a potential catastrophe,” by stopping militants armed for high-profile attacks from infiltrating Pakistani territory via militant-friendly Afghanistan and Iran, according to APnews.com.
Regional Implications
The military’s repeated calls on Afghan officials to prevent misuse of territory highlight an increase in regional cooperation. Pakistani allegations that militants receive external support create more strain within an already fragile Indo-Pakistani-Afghan security matrix (APnews.com, June 2018).
Pakistani forces remain on high alert in North Waziristan and surrounding districts, where tensions have been mounting amid rising tensions and ongoing efforts to detect sleeper cells. Operation Azm-e-Istehkam remains Pakistan’s primary way of fighting domestic and cross-border militancy through force as well as reconstruction efforts (en.wikipedia.org).
Terrorism analysts highlight an evolving threat landscape: militant groups are regrouping along Pakistan’s Afghan border areas and planning operations within Pakistan. This incident adds momentum to Pakistan’s strategy of preemptive, high-impact engagements; its swift military success being celebrated at home while simultaneously exposing border defense vulnerabilities that need urgent regional solutions.