Pakistani forces kill 33 militants in overnight operation near Afghan border

A Pakistani army soldier takes position in Peshawar, Pakistan, on Dec. 16, 2014. (AP / Mohammad Sajjad)

QUETTA, Pakistan — Pakistani security forces killed 33 militants who attempted to enter the insurgency-hit southwest from neighboring Afghanistan, the military said Friday.

The military said in a statement that an overnight operation took place in the Zhob district of Balochistan province, where troops spotted “Khwarij,” a phrase the government uses for Pakistani Taliban.

A search operation was underway to find and eliminate any remaining insurgents, the military said.

Pakistan often accuses the Taliban government in Afghanistan of turning a blind eye to militants operating near the frontier. Kabul denies the charge.

The Pakistani military said the militants who were killed had the backing of India, though it offered no evidence to back up the allegation. Pakistan has long accused New Delhi of supporting the Pakistani Taliban and separatists in Baluchistan.

There was no immediate comment from New Delhi.

In a statement, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces for what he called a successful operation.

Also on Friday, the government in Balochistan said it suspended mobile phone internet service until Aug. 31 for security reasons. The measure comes ahead of the Aug. 14 Independence Day holiday, which celebrates Pakistan gaining independence from British colonial rule in 1947. In recent years, insurgents in Balochistan have targeted people selling national flags ahead of the holiday.

Baluchistan has for years been the scene of an insurgency by separatist groups, along with attacks by the Pakistani Taliban and the outlawed Baluch Liberation Army. The separatists demand independence from Pakistan’s central government in Islamabad.

Officials say the insurgency has been largely quelled, but violence continues.

Currently, Pakistan’s security forces are also carrying out intelligence-based operations in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where troops in April killed 54 Pakistani Taliban in what authorities described as the deadliest single-day clash for militants this year.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks, most claimed by Pakistani Taliban who are known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, and are allies of the Afghan Taliban.

TTP is a separate group and has been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Many TTP leaders and fighters have found sanctuary in Afghanistan since then.

Abdul Sattar, The Associated Press