Pakistan’s security forces have killed 21 militants in multiple engagements across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), as counterterrorism operations continue in the province.
The military’s media wing said the militants were eliminated during separate operations conducted between September 3 and 5 in North Waziristan, Kohat and Dera Ismail Khan.
In North Waziristan, security forces killed 10 militants who had remained concealed in the area following an earlier engagement along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The development takes the number of militants killed in that attempted infiltration episode to 25, according to ISPR.
In another engagement in North Waziristan, troops detected the movement of a militant group near the border and launched an operation. ISPR said seven militants were killed during what it described as a precise and effective engagement.
Four additional militants were killed during two separate joint operations in Kohat and Dera Ismail Khan districts, the military said.
Security forces have also launched sanitisation operations in the affected areas to locate and eliminate any remaining militants, according to the military.
The latest operations come amid heightened security concerns along Pakistan’s western border and continued militant activity in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
ISPR reiterated that security forces remain committed to protecting Pakistan’s borders and eliminating militant threats. Pakistani authorities have repeatedly raised concerns over the alleged use of Afghan territory by militant groups for attacks and infiltration into Pakistan.
The latest clashes underscore the continuing security challenges facing the region and the ongoing efforts by Pakistani forces to prevent militant infiltration and attacks.