KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistan’s army on Tuesday claimed to have killed at least 30 suspected militants in a security operation near the Afghanistan border.

The “intelligence-based” operation was conducted in the restive South Waziristan tribal district, which borders neighboring Afghanistan, the military said in a statement.

"A sanitization operation is being conducted to eliminate any other militants found in the area," the statement said, adding: "The security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country.”

Pakistan has seen a surge in terrorist attacks in recent years.

Islamabad accused Afghanistan of not taking action against militants loyal to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or the TTP, allegedly operating from Afghan soil. Kabul denies the charge.

With at least 685 fatalities in 444 terror attacks, 2024 turned out to be one of the deadliest for the Pakistani security forces over the past two decades.