Pakistan military kills 34 militants in counterterrorism operations across KP

Pakistan’s military said Thursday it has killed at least 34 militants in a series of intelligence-led operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa between October 13 and 15, describing those targeted as members of an “Indian proxy group”.

The operations, conducted in multiple districts along the country’s northwestern frontier, mark one of the most extensive counterterrorism actions under the government’s Azm-e-Istehkam campaign - a nationwide effort to root out militancy.

In North Waziristan’s Spinwam area, troops launched an operation following reports of militant presence. The ensuing firefight left 18 militants dead, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.

A separate engagement in South Waziristan led to the killing of eight more militants, while another clash in the Bannu district resulted in the deaths of an additional eight fighters, according to ISPR.

Security forces have since launched area clearance and sanitization operations to eliminate any remaining threats. The military said its efforts were aimed at dismantling “external support networks” that continue to sustain terrorism within Pakistan.

Militants linked to the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are frequently described by the state as Fitna al-Khawarij. More recently, officials have used the term Fitna al-Hindustan to describe separatist groups in Balochistan, pointing to what Islamabad claims is evidence of Indian involvement in fueling violence and unrest.

Pakistan has witnessed a resurgence of militancy in recent years, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The TTP - which unilaterally ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022 - has since intensified attacks targeting security forces and law enforcement agencies, raising concerns about a renewed cycle of insurgent violence along the Afghan border.