Pakistani Troops Baku Shoot With Taliban, 23 Militants Killed

UNSPLASH/Ali Khokhar ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - Pakistan's security forces raided two Pakistani Taliban hiding places in the northwestern region of the country, near the Afghan border. The ambush sparked a violent shootout that killed 23 militants.

There were no details regarding casualties on the military side. The raid took place on Wednesday, November 19, in Kurram, a district in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The operation follows a raid earlier this week in the northwestern region of Pakistan which the military says killed 38 militants.

As reported by the Associated Press, Thursday, November 20, the military identified the militants killed as "Khawarij," a term authorities use for militants they suspect to be supported by Afghanistan and India, including those linked to the banned Pakistani Taliban, a charge Kabul and New Delhi have denied.

The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehorik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, are a separate group but allied with the Afghan Taliban. The group has grown bolder since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Many TTP leaders and fighters are believed to have operated from a shelter across the Afghan border, which exacerbated relations between Islamabad and Kabul. Pakistan has long urged Kabul to control the TTP.

The ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan has largely been going on since October 19, when Qatar mediated after both sides opened fire on each other at border posts.

Clashes erupted after Kabul accused Islamabad of launching a drone strike on October 9 in the Afghan capital that killed several people.

The border crossing between the two neighboring countries has remained closed since last month.