Peshawar, Mar 23 (PTI) At least 16 militants linked to the Pakistani Taliban were killed by security forces during an attempt to cross into Pakistan from Afghanistan, the army said on Sunday.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) - the media wing of the army - said that security forces detected a group of terrorists attempting to cross the Afghan border in North Waziristan's Ghulam Khan Kallay area on the night between 22/ 23 March.

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"Own troops effectively engaged and thwarted their attempt to infiltrate. After an intense fire exchange, all sixteen Khwarij (terrorists) were sent to hell,” said the statement, using the term designating members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Pakistan has consistently been asking the interim Afghan government to ensure effective border management on their side of the border, it said.

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"Interim Afghan government is expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by Khwarij for perpetrating acts of terrorism against Pakistan," it added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)