Pakistan's military identified the killed militants as "Fitna al-Khawarij," its term for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and alleged the militants were sponsored by India. ^[1] Pakistan's military said on 2026-09-03 that its security forces killed 15 militants attempting to cross into Pakistan from Afghanistan, saying the militants were detected on 2026-09-01 entering North Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and that an exchange of fire lasted 36 hours. ^[2] The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated on Thursday that security forces killed 15 terrorists attempting to infiltrate Pakistan through its border with Afghanistan. ^[3] As of 2026-09-03, Afghanistan's and India's governments had not immediately commented; Pakistan has often accused both of supporting the TTP and other militant groups, allegations both countries deny. ^[4] Security forces engaged the group for 36 hours, resulting in the deaths of 15 individuals identified by ISPR as belonging to India-sponsored Fitna-al-Khawarij. ^[5] The terrorists were detected while attempting to cross into Pakistan's North Waziristan district on the night between August 31 and September 1. ^[6] The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated that the sanitisation operation will continue at full pace to eliminate foreign-sponsored terrorism under the vision 'Azm e Istehkam'. ^[7]