KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Pakistani security forces killed 22 militants from the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in a joint “intelligence-based” operation in Khyber district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province earlier this week, the military said.
In a statement on Friday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said the operation, conducted by security forces and law enforcement agencies on April 21, targeted militants described by authorities as “India-backed Fitna al-Khawarij,” Islamabad’s term for the banned TTP group.
According to the ISPR statement, troops reached the location following intelligence reports of the militants’ presence. The suspects opened “indiscriminate fire” in an attempt to escape, triggering an intense exchange that resulted in the deaths of the 22 militants. A 10-year-old child was also killed in the crossfire, the ISPR said.
Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the site, the military said, adding that those killed were actively involved in terrorist activities in the region.
The ISPR added that security forces would press ahead with operations “at full pace” against militancy, which it described as foreign-sponsored, and that such incidents would only strengthen the resolve to eliminate the threat.
Militant violence has surged in Pakistan in recent years, especially in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan provinces bordering Afghanistan. The TTP and Baloch separatist groups have increased attacks on security forces, state installations, and, in some cases, civilian targets.
The Islamabad-based Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) recorded 699 militant attacks across Pakistan in 2025, a 34% rise from the previous year. Those incidents killed at least 1,034 people, a 21% increase in terrorism-related fatalities, and injured 1,366 others.
Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban authorities of providing safe havens to TTP fighters, allowing them to plan and launch cross-border attacks. The Taliban denies the allegations, insisting that Pakistan’s security challenges are an internal matter and that no such groups operate from Afghan territory.
Tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban have escalated sharply since late 2025, with dozens of border clashes, Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan, including in Kabul, and retaliatory actions. The exchanges have caused hundreds of casualties on both sides, including civilians.
Multiple rounds of mediation, including talks hosted by China and other regional countries, have so far failed to ease tensions. Pakistan has reportedly called for verifiable action against TTP leadership, including written guarantees to restrain or relocate militants, conditions the Afghan Taliban have not accepted.
The latest operation comes amid Pakistan’s broader counter-terrorism campaign as it seeks to curb the resurgent threat from TTP and affiliated groups operating along the rugged border region.
