ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov 20, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Pakistan security forces killed 23 militants in two targeted operations near the Afghan frontier, the army said Thursday, a week after a suicide bombing killed 12 people in Islamabad.

The militants belonged to the Pakistani Taliban or its affiliated groups, the military said in a statement, accusing archfoe India of backing them.

The raids took place in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a flashpoint for cross-border militancy that has worsened since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

"Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out menace of foreign sponsored and supported terrorism from the country," the statement added.

Islamabad has routinely accused Kabul of harbouring militant groups, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), that stage deadly attacks in Pakistan.

Pakistan has also stepped up rhetoric against India in recent months, which it claims backs militant groups.

Both neighbours deny any involvement.

The raids come after a suicide bombing outside a court in Islamabad killed 12 people and wounded dozens last week, which Pakistan said was planned from Afghanistan.

A faction of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have sharply deteriorated, with cross-border clashes last month prompting the worst fighting in years.

More than 70 people were killed on both sides in their week-long conflict and the border remains closed.

The South Asian neighbours agreed to a fragile ceasefire but failed to finalise its terms after several rounds of talks, each blaming the other for the impasse.