Five terrorists killed as security forces foil infiltration bid in Balochistan's Zhob

• Slain terrorists attempting to infiltrate Pakistan along border: ISPR
• Says Kabul consistently asked to ensure border management.
• Forces committed to securing borders, says military's media wing.

Five terrorists were killed as security forces thwarted an infiltration attempt along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Balochistan’s Zhob district, the military’s media wing said on Sunday.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that they noticed the movement of a group of militants, who were trying to infiltrate through the Pak-Afghanistan border in the general area of Sambaza, Zhob district on the night between January 18-19.    

“Own troops effectively engaged and thwarted their attempt to infiltrate. Resultantly, five Khwarij were sent to hell.”

Pakistan has consistently been asking the interim Afghan government to ensure effective border management on their side of the border, according to the ISPR. 

It further said: “Interim Afghan government is expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by Khwarij for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.”

Security forces of Pakistan remain committed to securing its borders and eliminating the menace of terrorism from the country, said ISPR.

According to the “CRSS Annual Security Report 2024” published by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, the year 2024 was the deadliest for Pakistan’s civil and military security forces in a decade, with at least 685 fatalities and 444 terror attacks.

Equally alarming were the cumulative losses of civilians and security personnel, i.e., 1,612 fatalities, accounting for over 63% of the total recorded this year, marking 73% more losses compared to 934 outlaws eliminated, The News reported citing CRSS report.

It must be noted that the overall terror-related fatalities in 2024 hit a 9-year high — 66% higher than in 2023.  Nearly seven lives were lost daily on average, with November emerging as the deadliest month across all metrics compared to the other months of the year.

With 1,616 fatalities, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the hardest hit in terms of human losses, followed by Balochistan with 782 deaths. In 2024, Pakistan suffered 2,546 violence-related fatalities and 2,267 injuries among civilians, security personnel, and outlaws.

This tally was resulted from 1,166 incidents of terror attacks and counter-terror operations, marking a grim year for the country’s security landscape.