By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD Security forces killed 30 militants linked to a deadly ambush earlier this week that left 11 soldiers dead, including two officers, in a targeted operation aimed at rooting out what the military described as “India-sponsored” insurgents in the restive northwest, the army’s media wing said o Friday.
The strike, carried out in the Jamal Maya area of Orakzai district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was based on credible intelligence and followed an intense exchange of fire, according to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s public affairs arm. It marked a swift response to Tuesday’s clash in the same district, where forces had raided a suspected hideout of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, now officially labeled by the government as Fitna al Khawarij, intended to delegitimise the group.
“Security forces have been conducting a series of retribution operations against the kharijis involved in [the] heinous incident that occurred in Orakzai District on October 7, resulting in the shahadat of brave sons of soil, including Lieutenant Colonel Junaid Tariq and Major Tayyab Rahat,” the ISPR statement said. It added that “all 30 India-sponsored khwarij involved in the terrorist incident have been sent to hell” and that “these successful operations have avenged the heinous act and have brought the main perpetrators to justice.”
Sanitisation operations were ongoing to “hunt and eliminate any other India-sponsored khariji found in the area,” the statement continued, emphasising that “the security forces of Pakistan are determined and remain steadfast to eradicate and wipe out the menace of India-sponsored terrorism from the country.”
The initial operation on Tuesday night targeted the reported presence of “Indian proxy Fitna Al Khawarij,” killing 19 militants but at a heavy cost. 11 security personnel, including the two officers, were killed in the firefight, the ISPR said at the time. The government had redesignated the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan as Fitna al Khawarij in July, requiring all institutions to refer to its members as khariji, or outcasts, when discussing attacks on Pakistan.
Top officials quickly praised the latest operation amid a broader wave of violence that has plagued the country’s border regions. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, speaking via state-run Radio Pakistan, said security personnel were engaged in “safeguarding the motherland against the enemy by risking their lives” and reiterated the government’s resolve to stamp out the menace of terrorism from the country.
President Asif Ali Zardari, in a statement posted on the Pakistan Peoples Party’s account on X, lauded the security forces’ “courageous” operation against “India-sponsored terrorists.” He said the nation would forever remember the sacrifices of Lieutenant Colonel Tariq and Major Rahat and that security forces had made the nation proud by dismantling a network of terrorists .“Continuous successes against terrorism reflect our resolve, [and] the brave sons of the soil have written history by sacrificing their lives for the protection of the motherland,” Zardari added.
The strikes come against a backdrop of escalating militant attacks in Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where insurgents have increasingly targeted police, law enforcement, and military personnel. Violence surged after the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended a ceasefire with the government in 2022.Just a day after the Orakzai clash, a major in the Pakistan Army was killed and seven militants were eliminated in an intelligence-based operation in Dera Ismail Khan district, also in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Last month, 19 soldiers were killed in multiple incidents in the province over a few days. Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of harboring Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan militants, who it says launch cross-border attacks. Islamabad has urged Kabul to crack down, but Afghan authorities have denied the claims. Following last month’s losses, Prime Minister Sharif said the “Afghan interim government has been clearly told to choose between supporting the khawarij or stand with Pakistan.”
Tensions with India have also intensified, with Pakistan alleging New Delhi’s involvement in sponsoring terrorism. In May, the government labeled all terrorist groups in Balochistan as Fitna al Hindustan to highlight what it calls India’s role in destabilising the region.
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