Pakistan’s military said it killed 33 militants who tried to cross into Zhob district, Balochistan, from Afghanistan during the night of 7–8 August. A statement by Inter-Services Public Relations described the insurgents as members of Fitna al Khawarij, an India-backed group, and said troops detected their movement in the Sambaza area before surrounding and engaging them. Security forces recovered a cache of weapons, ammunition and explosives after the firefight and have begun clearance operations to track remaining fighters along the frontier. No casualties among Pakistani personnel were disclosed. In an unrelated action the army and local police completed a targeted search operation in Bannu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, aimed at dismantling militant hideouts, the military added.