Army officer killed, seven militants slain in operation in northwest Pakistan

Pakistan’s military said on Wednesday that an army officer was killed and seven militants were slain during an intelligence-based operation in the Daraban area of Dera Ismail Khan district, a day after 11 soldiers lost their lives in another major clash with insurgents in the northwest.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, the operation was conducted on October 8 after reports of the presence of militants belonging to Fitna al Khwarij or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which the army described as an Indian proxy network.

During the exchange of fire, Major Sibtain Haider, 30, from Quetta, was killed while leading his troops from the front.

The military said seven militants were killed in the operation and that weapons and ammunition were recovered from their possession. The statement added that the slain militants were involved in attacks on security forces, law enforcement agencies, and civilians.

A sanitization operation was underway in the area to eliminate any remaining militants, the ISPR said, adding that Pakistan’s security forces “remain determined to wipe out the menace of Indian-sponsored terrorism from the country.”

Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering South Waziristan, has witnessed frequent militant attacks in recent years, particularly targeting police and army personnel.

The operation comes less than 24 hours after another deadly encounter in Orakzai district, where 11 soldiers, including two officers, were killed during a nighttime firefight with militants.

That clash left 19 militants dead and marked one of the deadliest confrontations for Pakistan’s army this year.

Those killed in the Orakzai operation included Lieutenant Colonel Junaid Arif, 39, and Major Tayyab Rahat, 33, both from Rawalpindi, along with nine soldiers under their command.

Orakzai, one of the tribal districts bordering Afghanistan, has long been a hotbed for insurgent activity. The region was once a stronghold for local and foreign militants linked to the TTP and other extremist groups.

Despite several military operations over the past decade, sporadic attacks persist in northwestern Pakistan. Security officials often blame groups operating from sanctuaries across the Afghan border for the violence.

Pakistan has seen a sharp resurgence of militant attacks since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, with security forces frequently targeted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.