By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: An army captain was martyred, and seven militants were killed during an intelligence-based operation in Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said on Saturday.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said security forces launched the operation on Friday after receiving reports of the presence of militants belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij, a term used by Pakistani authorities for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
Troops engaged the militants, who took refuge inside a mosque during the exchange of fire, the military said. Seven of them were killed. Captain Hamza Akram, 27, from Narowal district in Punjab province, died in the fighting while leading his troops and pursuing the militants, according to the statement.
Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the dead, who the military said had been involved in attacks on security forces, law enforcement personnel and civilians. A sanitisation operation was under way in the area to clear any remaining militants, ISPR added. The military described the group as Indian-sponsored.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi paid tribute to the captain and offered condolences to his family, saying the officer had made the ultimate sacrifice for the country.
A day earlier, the military reported that 10 militants were killed in two separate clashes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Eight died after a group tried to attack security checkposts in the Azam Warsak area of South Waziristan, while two more were killed in an encounter in Dir district.
Separately, security forces killed a militant commander identified as Jamidullah in an operation in the Jani Khel area of Bannu district, a security official said. The official described him as a specialist in the use of quadcopters who had been involved in militant activity. The operation was based on intelligence reports.
In Balochistan, security sources said forces killed three militants belonging to Fitna al-Hindustan and detained 12 suspects during a search and sanitisation operation in the Kambela and Asimabad areas of Mastung district. The action formed part of Operation Rad-ul-Fitna-3 and covered about 68 square kilometres. The bodies of two of the dead were recovered, while four others, including a commander identified as Shaukat Mama, were wounded. Forces also removed group flags after clearing militant hideouts, the sources said.
Violence linked to militant attacks and counter-terrorism operations rose sharply in July, making it the deadliest month of 2026 so far, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies. The Islamabad-based think tank said 205 people were killed that month, including 112 security personnel.
A report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies found that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan accounted for nearly 96 percent of all violence-related deaths in the second quarter of 2026. More than 61 percent of the fatalities, or 475, occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Balochistan recorded 265. The northwestern province also saw the highest number of violent incidents, with 151 cases, or 57 percent of the national total, followed by Balochistan with 94 incidents.
Militant activity has intensified in both provinces since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021. The military has said security forces will continue operations under the Azm-e-Istehkam campaign against what it calls foreign-sponsored terrorism.
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