KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Pakistani security forces killed 27 members of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in multiple operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this week, the military said, as Islamabad intensifies counterterrorism efforts along the border with Afghanistan.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of Pakistan’s military, said in a statement that 23 fighters, described as “Khwarij,” a term Pakistan uses for TTP militants, were killed in two targeted operations on Wednesday in the Kurram district, an area that has seen frequent clashes between militants and security forces.
In a separate statement, ISPR said that four more TTP fighters were killed in intelligence-based operations carried out on Monday and Tuesday in Bajaur, North Waziristan and Dera Ismail Khan districts. According to the military, the militants were involved in planning or conducting attacks against security forces in the country’s northwest.
The military said its operations would continue “at full pace” as part of the nationwide campaign known as “Azm-e-Istehkam,” aimed at eliminating what it called “foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism.” It added that clearance efforts were still underway in several areas where militants were believed to be operating.
Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks in recent years, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where TTP and separatist groups such as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) have increased attacks on military installations, checkpoints, and security patrols.
A recent report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), an Islamabad-based think tank, documented 901 fatalities and 599 injuries from 329 violent incidents, including militant attacks and counterterrorism operations, over the past three months. The report said the figures represented a 46% increase compared to the same period last year and warned that the country was on track to surpass 2024, already the deadliest year in a decade.
Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of failing to take “decisive and concrete” steps against TTP militants that Pakistan claims operate from Afghan soil and cross the border to stage attacks. The Taliban deny the allegations and say Pakistan should resolve its security challenges internally.
Tensions between the two former allies have escalated in recent months. Border clashes in October left dozens dead on both sides before a fragile ceasefire was brokered in Doha. Follow-up talks in Istanbul have so far made no headway, with Pakistan reportedly seeking written guarantees that the Taliban will rein in and relocate TTP fighters, conditions the Taliban have not yet formally agreed to.
