RAWALPINDI: Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced that Pakistan’s security forces eliminated 13 militants allegedly backed by India during five separate intelligence-based operations carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the military’s media wing, high-intensity operations were conducted during the nights of March 6 and 7 as part of Pakistan’s ongoing counter-terrorism drive. In one operation in Bajaur District, troops engaged militant hideouts and killed five terrorists after a fierce exchange of gunfire.
Two additional encounters took place in Bannu District and Dera Ismail Khan District, where three militants were neutralised. Security forces also carried out separate engagements in Khyber District and South Waziristan District, killing another five terrorists.
The ISPR stated that weapons and ammunition were recovered from the slain militants, who were reportedly involved in several terrorist activities in the region. Clearance operations are continuing to locate and eliminate any remaining militants.
The military reiterated that the armed forces and law-enforcement agencies will persist with their counter-terrorism campaign under the vision of Azm‑e‑Istehkam to eradicate foreign-sponsored militancy from the country.
These operations come as Pakistan intensifies efforts to counter security threats along the Afghan border under the ongoing campaign Operation Ghazab lil‑Haq.
Pakistan has experienced an increase in cross-border militant activity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
Under Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, Pakistani strikes along the border and inside Afghan territory have reportedly killed at least 527 Taliban fighters. According to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, more than 755 militants have been injured, while 237 checkpoints were destroyed, 38 captured, and 205 tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery pieces eliminated.
Before the launch of the operation, Pakistan also carried out airstrikes targeting militant camps belonging to Fitna al Khawarij and Daesh‑Khorasan along the border. These strikes were conducted in Nangarhar Province, Paktika Province and Khost Province, killing more than 80 militants.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have also led to border clashes, particularly in October 2025, when Afghan Taliban fighters and allied militants launched attacks on Pakistani border posts. The clashes resulted in the deaths of more than 200 militants, while 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred defending the country.
Despite several rounds of negotiations, Islamabad and the Afghan Taliban authorities have yet to reach a lasting agreement, largely due to Kabul’s reluctance to take decisive action against militant groups operating near the border.
