Pakistani security forces have eliminated at least 27 suspected terrorists in a series of coordinated intelligence-based operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan over the past three days, officials confirmed, as the country grapples with its most severe wave of militant attacks in more than a decade.
In the latest strike on Friday, forces killed seven militants affiliated with Fitna al-Khwarij during an operation in North Waziristan district under the government’s Azm-e-Istehkam counter-terrorism framework. Security sources reported that multiple militant hideouts were destroyed and weapons caches seized during the raid, which authorities say targeted India-backed operatives.
The operation followed a similar strike just one day earlier in which nine militants were killed across three locations in North Waziristan, including the Palangzai, Nadeem Kot, and Kot Khazri areas. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif publicly commended the forces for both operations.
Meanwhile, Balochistan’s Counter-Terrorism Department conducted a major operation in the Rara Sham area of Barkhan district on Saturday, killing ten militants described as members of Fitna al-Hindustan. Provincial government adviser Shahid Rind confirmed that two CTD personnel were wounded during the intense firefight, which resulted in the recovery of heavy weaponry and military-grade arms. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised the operation as a demonstration of the CTD’s professional capability.
In a separate incident in Bannu district, a wanted militant commander identified as Zainullah was killed during a Police Peace Committee operation in the Ghoriwala area on Saturday morning.
The intensified military response comes as Pakistan faces an alarming surge in terrorist activity. September 2026 recorded the highest monthly number of militant attacks in twelve years, with 225 incidents nationwide according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, a 13 percent increase from August and the third consecutive monthly rise.
Security analysts point to the return of the Afghan Taliban to power in 2021 as a turning point, with cross-border attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan increasing sharply since then. Islamabad has repeatedly pressed Kabul to prevent Afghan territory from serving as a launchpad for attacks on Pakistani soil, but tensions remain unresolved despite multiple rounds of dialogue.
Recent high-profile attacks underscore the severity of the threat. Last week, twelve people died in a blast at a joint checkpoint in Dera Ismail Khan. In September, 23 people including 15 police officers were killed in a mosque bombing in Kohat during Friday prayers. In July, 30 people died when militants ambushed police in Ziarat, Balochistan.
Security forces have vowed to continue targeted operations until the terrorist threat is completely eliminated from both provinces, with officials emphasizing national unity in confronting what they describe as externally backed violence designed to destabilize Pakistan.
