State sources in Pakistan have confirmed to Afghanistan International that militants affiliated with Hafiz Gul Bahadur have crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan.

Concurrently, a video received by Afghanistan International shows armed individuals breaching the border fence from Afghanistan into Waziristan.

According to reports, these militants, associated with Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a commander within the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), made their way into Waziristan by cutting through the border fence after Eid al-Fitr celebrations. Sources relayed to Afghanistan International that the group included both Pakistani Taliban fighters and some Afghans.

To date, the Taliban have not issued any statements regarding this incident. Meanwhile, senior Pakistani officials have repeatedly expressed concerns that Hafiz Gul Bahadur and other TTP militants in Afghanistan are operating under the protection of the Taliban, alleging that they have safe havens within the country.

Despite these claims, the Taliban have denied such accusations, asserting that Islamabad is shifting the blame for its own security failures onto the Taliban.