Five Suspected Suicide Bombers Captured in Foiled Pak-Afghan Border Infiltration

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Pakistan’s security forces arrested five suspected suicide bombers on July 17, 2025, thwarting an infiltration attempt by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in North Waziristan. The operation, which saw the Afghan nationals surrender without resistance, underscores Pakistan’s robust counterterrorism efforts amid a surge in regional militant activity.

The incident unfolded at 5:00 PM when intelligence alerted security forces to a group of TTP militants, referred to as “Khawarij” by the state, attempting to cross from Afghanistan into Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. According to Pakistan Television (PTV) News, security teams swiftly established checkpoints across five locations, blocking the infiltrators’ path toward Azizkhel and Mandikhel. The militants sought refuge in a mosque in Besikhel village, but security forces surrounded the area, forcing their surrender by 6:25 PM. “The operation was executed with precision, avoiding civilian harm,” a security source told Dawn. All five suspects, aged 15 to 18, were Afghan nationals, with three carrying Afghan identity cards, and were moved to an undisclosed location for interrogation.

This success follows a pattern of intensified operations in KP and Balochistan, where Pakistan has faced a 45% rise in terror-related deaths since the TTP ended its ceasefire in November 2022, per the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS). Earlier in July, forces killed eight militants in Bajaur and 30 in North Waziristan, with Pakistan alleging Indian support for TTP activities, a claim India denies. “India’s backing of proxy groups aims to destabilize Pakistan,” a security official stated, as reported by The Frontier Post.