Friday 04 / July / 2025
The Pakistan military said it has killed more than 30 militants over the last three days in North Waziristan, a northern district that borders Afghanistan.
The militants belonged to the Pakistani Taliban or affiliated groups, according to the Pakistan military. A suicide bomber killed 16 Pakistani soldiers in the same region last week in an attack that was claimed by the Pakistan Taliban.
What has Pakistan said about the killings?
On Friday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised security forces for "thwarting an infiltration attempt".
"The security forces demonstrated exceptional professionalism, vigilance preparedness, and prevented a potential catastrophe," a statement from his office said.
"A large quantity of weapons, ammunition and explosives was also recovered."
What's behind the recent violence?
In April 2025, the Pakistan military killed 54 insurgents in the same area.
Since the Taliban's return to power in 2021, violence in Pakistan's border regions has surged.
In recent months, much of this violence has been blamed on the Pakistan Taliban. The group is separate, though closely allied to, the Afghan Taliban and operates in the northwest border with Afghanistan.
Pakistan has largely laid the blame on Afghanistan for allowing militants to operate and has asked Afghanistan to prevent the use of its territory by "foreign proxies." Recently, Pakistan has also accused India of allegedly backing groups such as the Baloch Liberation Army and the Pakistani Taliban.
Both Afghanistan and India have denied any involvement with militant groups.
Accusations against India have increased since 26 civilians were killed in a shooting in the Kashmir region in April.
According to the AFP news agency, more than 290 people, mostly security officials, have been killed in attacks by armed groups since the start of 2025.
