Pakistan announces the elimination of 23 militants in a swift operation near the Afghan border.

Arab Sea Newspaper - Special

**Arab Sea - Follow-ups:** Pakistani security forces announced on Thursday that they had killed 23 militants in two operations near the Afghan border, a week after a suicide bombing killed 12 people in Islamabad, which was claimed by a faction linked to the Pakistani Taliban, according to Agence France-Presse. The armed forces said in a statement that the militants belonged to the movement or groups affiliated with it, accusing India, Pakistan's arch-enemy, of supporting them. The Pakistani army explained that the two operations took place in the Kurram area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where armed insurgency is active across the border and has worsened since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. It pledged that "Pakistan will continue with full force to eliminate the scourge of terrorism supported and financed from abroad from the country." Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring armed groups, especially the Pakistani Taliban, which carries out deadly attacks in Pakistan. The latter has hardened its tone towards India in recent months, also accusing it of supporting armed groups opposed to it. The two operations came after a suicide bombing outside a court in Islamabad on November 14 killed 12 people and wounded dozens. A faction linked to the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, while Pakistani authorities confirmed the arrest of four people suspected of involvement, noting that they belong to a cell led in Afghanistan. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated with the outbreak of cross-border clashes last month, the worst in years. The week-long clashes resulted in the death of more than 70 people. The two countries agreed on a truce in the fighting, but negotiations to make it a permanent ceasefire failed, with the two sides exchanging accusations of responsibility for that.