Security forces kill 11 militants in northwest Pakistan operations

Mudasser Chudhary – Security forces have killed 11 Pakistani Taliban militants in separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan’s northwestern province, the military said on Saturday, amid rising militant activity in the region.

The first intelligence-led operation took place in North Waziristan, near the Afghan border, where six militants were neutralized, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), reported.

In a second joint operation by police and security forces in Kurram district, five more militants were killed during a firefight.

The ISPR added that weapons and ammunition were seized from the militants, who were reportedly involved in multiple terrorist activities. Operations are ongoing to ensure any remaining militants in the area are apprehended or eliminated.

There was no immediate comment by New Delhi to the Pakistani military statement.

Pakistan has struggled to contain a surge in militancy in KP in recent years. Militant groups such as the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have frequently targeted convoys of security forces, police stations and check-posts besides kidnapping government officials in the region.

Last year, the South Asian country saw 73 percent increase in combat-related deaths, with both security forces and militants suffering casualties in large number.

As per statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), combat-related deaths in 2025 rose 73 percent to 3,387, compared with 1,950 in 2024. These deaths included 2,115 militants, 664 security forces personnel, 580 civilians and 28 members of pro-government peace committees (combatants), the think tank said in a press release.

Islamabad has frequently accused Afghanistan of allowing its soil and India of backing militant groups, including the TTP, for attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi have consistently denied this.