Security personnel conducted two intelligence-led operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, eliminating 13 terrorists associated with the Indian-backed network “Fitna al-Khawarij,” according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Thursday.
The operations took place in the Bannu and Kurram districts after credible intelligence confirmed the presence of armed militants in both locations. ISPR stated that security forces engaged the suspects in heavy gunfights during the raids, resulting in the killing of all identified targets.
In Bannu, the first operation was launched after authorities received information about a terrorist hideout. ISPR said troops promptly sealed off the area and confronted the militants once contact was made. Following an intense exchange of fire, eight terrorists were killed. The military added that the operation was carefully executed to ensure the militants could neither escape nor reorganise.
A second intelligence-based operation was then carried out in Kurram district, where security forces again came under fire from terrorists. ISPR confirmed that five more militants were neutralised during the exchange. A large cache of weapons and ammunition was also recovered from the site, indicating that the group was prepared to carry out further attacks in the region.
ISPR said sanitisation operations were continuing in both districts to eliminate any remaining militants who might still be hiding in the area. The statement added that Pakistan’s security forces remained determined to wipe out foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country under the national counter-terrorism vision Azm-e-Istehkam.
The military’s update comes as Pakistan continues to face a sharp rise in cross-border terrorist activity, particularly since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. The provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which share long and porous borders with Afghanistan, have borne the brunt of these attacks, with militants frequently using difficult terrain and border gaps to stage operations.
ISPR Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, in a press briefing on January 6, outlined the scale of Pakistan’s counter-terrorism effort over the past year. He said law enforcement agencies conducted 75,175 intelligence-based operations across the country in 2025. Of these, 14,658 operations were carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 58,778 in Balochistan and 1,739 in the rest of the country.
He also revealed that 5,397 terrorist incidents were reported nationwide during the year. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounted for 3,811 of those incidents, while 1,557 took place in Balochistan and 29 were recorded in other parts of the country. According to the ISPR chief, 2,597 terrorists were killed during counter-terrorism operations in 2025 alone.
Providing details of 10 major terror attacks carried out during the year, Lt Gen Chaudhry said civilians and soft targets were deliberately targeted, and Afghan militants were involved in all of those incidents. The army has repeatedly stated that militant networks operating from across the border continue to pose a serious threat to Pakistan’s internal security.
Source: Dunya News
