Pakistan's military says 30 terrorists involved in Orakzai attack killed

Pakistan’s security forces have killed 30 militants involved in the Oct. 7 ambush on a military convoy near the Afghan border that killed nine soldiers and two officers, the military said Friday.

The statement came after a major and a lieutenant colonel were killed while leading a security operation in the Orakzai district.

Lt. Col. Junaid Arif, 39, and Maj. Tayyab Rahat, 33 — both from Rawalpindi — were killed along with nine soldiers under their command, according to the military.

Security forces have since launched what they described as “retribution operations” in response to the attack.

“During the operation, based on credible intelligence, in the Jamal Maya area of Orakzai district, after intense fire exchanges, all 30 Indian-sponsored khawarij involved in the terrorist incident have been eliminated,” the army said in a statement.

The Pakistani military routinely refers to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, as Fitna al-Khawarij. The group has increased attacks on security forces in recent months.

Islamabad says TTP militants use neighboring Afghanistan to train and plan assaults against Pakistan, and alleges that archrival India provides them support — accusations both Kabul and New Delhi deny.

In a separate development, two powerful blasts were heard in the Afghan capital Kabul, on Thursday evening. As per unconfirmed reports, the blasts were said to have targeted TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud, but details remain unclear.

The first deafening blast happened around 9:50 pm local time (1720 GMT) and was followed by a second explosion a few minutes later.

"The incident is under investigation, but no casualties have been reported yet, and everything is fine," government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on X, adding that information would be released later.

On social media, several people reported hearing the explosions and seeing drones.

In the streets of the capital, numerous security forces were alerted and were searching cars, an AFP journalist saw. Mobile telephone service was down in several neighborhoods.