At least 13 militants were killed by Pakistani security forces along the Afghanistan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to a statement issued on Friday by the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations.
The operations took place on April 28 and 29 in the Mohmand and North Waziristan districts, targeting members of Fitna-al-Khwarij—a term used by the state for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
In Mohmand district, security forces detected the movement of a group attempting to infiltrate across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Troops engaged the militants effectively, resulting in the killing of eight fighters.
In a separate operation in North Waziristan, another infiltration attempt was foiled. Following an intense exchange of fire, five militants were neutralised by security personnel.
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The military added that sanitisation operations are ongoing in both areas to ensure no remaining militants are present. The statement also underlined that Pakistan’s counter-terrorism drive under the ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’ strategy—approved by the Federal Apex Committee as part of the National Action Plan—will continue with full intensity.
It further called on the Afghan Taliban authorities to meet their obligations by preventing the use of Afghan territory for cross-border attacks and stopping involvement of their citizens in militant activities in Pakistan.
Despite a high number of militant casualties in recent operations, the country has witnessed a notable rise in violence in 2025. According to a report by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies, terrorist attacks increased by 34 per cent, while fatalities linked to terrorism rose by 21 per cent compared to the previous year.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been particularly affected by the surge. The Annual Security Report 2025 by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) noted a sharp escalation in violence in the province, with fatalities rising from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025.
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