ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military said on Saturday it killed four militants during an intelligence-based operation in Panjgur district in southwestern Balochistan, near the border with Iran, accusing them of belonging to the Pakistani Taliban.

The group, also known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and described as Fitna al Khwarij by Islamabad, has largely operated in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan. Pakistan has frequently accused Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government of sheltering TTP leaders and fighters, allegations Afghan officials deny.

Islamabad has also accused India of supporting militant activity in Pakistan’s western provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, though New Delhi has rejected the charge in the past.

“On 26 December 2025, security forces conducted an intelligence based operation in Panjgur District of Balochistan, on reported presence of Khwarij belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khwarij,” the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.

“During the conduct of operation, own forces effectively engaged the Khwarij location, and after an intense fire exchange, four Indian sponsored Khwarij were sent to hell,” it added.

ISPR said weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the militants, whom it said had been involved in multiple attacks in the area. It added that follow-up search operations were under way to clear the area of any remaining fighters.

The operation comes amid heightened tensions along Pakistan’s northwestern frontier following fierce border clashes with Afghan forces in October, as a spike in violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa prompted Pakistani officials to suspect cross-border militant activity originating from Afghanistan.

Dozens of people were killed on both sides during the clashes, with Pakistan shutting down major border crossings and stepping up security along its porous frontier.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populated province, has for years faced a separatist insurgency led by groups such as the Balochistan Liberation Army, while TTP-linked attacks in the province have been less frequent but have occurred in the past.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces for the operation in Panjgur, his office said in a statement.

“The prime minister paid tribute to the security forces for eliminating four Indian-backed terrorists,” it said, adding that Sharif vowed to “crush the nefarious designs of the enemies of humanity” and said the entire nation stood with the armed forces in the fight against militancy.

Sharif said Pakistan remained fully committed to the complete eradication of all forms of terrorism from the country, the statement added.