RAWALPINDI: Security forces have killed 15 terrorists attempting to infiltrate Pakistan from Afghanistan opposite North Waziristan, the military’s media wing said on Thursday, after an engagement lasting 36 hours. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the movement of a group of militants belonging to what it calls Indian-sponsored Fitna Al Khwarij was detected on the night of Aug 31-Sept 1, 2026. The group was attempting to infiltrate through the Pakistan-Afghanistan border opposite North Waziristan District, ISPR said. “Own troops responded professionally and with patience to engage them successfully,” the military’s media wing said. As a result of what ISPR described as a “precise and skilful engagement”, 15 militants were killed during the 36-hour operation. North Waziristan served as a headquarters for local and foreign militants until 2017, when the army said it had cleared the region of insurgents following several operations. Despite the army’s claims, violence has continued, albeit at a lower level. During a follow-up sanitisation operation, security forces also recovered a significant quantity of weapons and ammunition from the militants. The military said the recovery had further exposed what it described as the “nefarious designs” of the militants and their facilitators seeking to disrupt peace and stability in Pakistan. The Pakistan military uses the term “Fitna Al Khawarij” for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants