The killed members of the outlawed TTP were planning to carry out cross-border terror activities, they added.

Last month, Badshah Khan, who was considered to be the right hand of outlawed TTP chief Noor Wali, was killed in Afghanistan’s Paktika province, sources said.

He was killed in a landmine blast on September 12.

Khan was on the most wanted list in Pakistan and was said to be involved in terrorist operations against Pakistan forces.

It is pertinent to mention that the armed forces of Pakistan have expressed concerns about the “safe havens and liberty of action” available to the outlawed terrorist group TTP in neighbouring Afghanistan.

“The involvement of Afghan nationals in acts of terrorism in Pakistan is another important concern that needs to be addressed,” said the Inter-Services Public Relations in a statement on July 14. “Such attacks are intolerable and would elicit [an] effective response from the security forces of Pakistan.”

The statement came after two terrorist attacks against the Pakistani security forces in Balochistan in mid-July. At least 12 soldiers were martyred in the attacks in Zhob and Sui.