Pakistan kills 29 militants in operations along Afghan border

Pakistan said Monday its security forces killed 29 suspected militants in a series of intelligence-led operations along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, combining ground strikes with precision air attacks on what it described as militant camps across the frontier.

The announcement followed a string of deadly attacks inside the country, including an assault on a paramilitary camp in Karachi.

Federal Information Minister Atta Tarar said the operations targeted groups responsible for attacks on civilians and security personnel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Karachi. The campaign targeted hideouts belonging to Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and what Pakistan refers to as "Fitna al Khawarij."

How many militants were killed in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border operation?

Pakistan's security forces killed 29 militants in total. Four were killed in a ground operation in Bajaur district on Saturday, including a commander identified as Khan Farosh.

The remaining 25 were killed in precision strikes under Operation Ghazb Lil Haq, targeting alleged camps in the Afghan border regions of Paktia, Paktika and Kunar on the night of June 28-29.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan's Taliban government disputed Pakistan's account, saying the strikes killed civilians rather than militants. The Taliban's deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat claimed Pakistani strikes in three eastern provinces killed 36 civilians and wounded 163 others.

"The attacks carried out last night resulted in the martyrdom of 36 civilians, including women and children, while 163 others sustained injuries," Fitrat posted on his X account.

What triggered Pakistan's latest border operation?

Tarar said the operations were launched in direct response to recent militant attacks across Pakistan. Two days before the announcement, militants attacked a Pakistan Rangers camp in Karachi's Gulistan-e-Jauhar area, killing three Rangers personnel and wounding four others.

Pakistan's military blamed Jamaat-ul-Ahrar for that attack and described the group as an "Indian proxy." Security forces killed three attackers and captured a fourth, identified as a wounded Afghan national. AFP journalists in Karachi reported hearing heavy gunfire Saturday night as security forces sealed roads around the Mosamiat Chowrangi area.

What is Operation Ghazb Lil Haq?

Operation Ghazb Lil Haq is the cross-border strike component of Pakistan's latest counterterrorism push, targeting alleged militant hideouts in Afghanistan's Paktia, Paktika and Kunar provinces. Pakistan says 25 militants were killed in those strikes and that large quantities of weapons and ammunition stored at the targeted camps were destroyed.

The government described the targeted groups as foreign-sponsored organizations involved in planning and facilitating attacks inside Pakistan. Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir expressed condolences to the families of the slain Rangers personnel, saying their sacrifices reinforced Pakistan's commitment to national security.

What is Pakistan's Azm-e-Istehkam counterterrorism strategy?

Azm-e-Istehkam is Pakistan's nationwide counterterrorism campaign, approved by the Federal Apex Committee under the National Action Plan. Tarar said the strategy aims to dismantle militant networks across the country and would continue despite the latest attacks.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan's Taliban government of providing safe haven to militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.

Afghanistan has consistently denied those allegations. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar is a militant faction frequently linked to the TTP and has been tied to multiple attacks inside Pakistan.