Military says 15 militants killed, two soldiers martyred in KP operations

By Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD: The military said on Saturday that two soldiers were killed, and 15 militants were eliminated in three separate intelligence-based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, as the country battles a surge in militant violence.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the operations, conducted on Friday and Saturday, targeted militant hideouts in Karak, North Waziristan, and South Waziristan districts.

In Karak district, security forces killed eight militants during an engagement at their location, the ISPR said. Eight terrorists were sent to hell after troops effectively engaged them at their location during an IBO in Karak district based on the reported militant presence.”

Another operation in North Waziristan left four militants dead. During intense fighting there, Lance Naik Usman Mohmand, 28, from Charsadda district, and Sepoy Imran Khan, 26, from Kurram district, were martyred.

“However, during the intense fire exchange, two brave sons of soil… having fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice and embraced martyrdom,” the ISPR said.

In a third operation in South Waziristan’s Gomal Zam area, troops killed three more militants. Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the slain militants, who were linked to multiple terror activities.

The ISPR said sanitisation operations were ongoing to clear any remaining militants. “Pakistan’s security forces remain determined to eliminate terrorism, and the sacrifices of our brave soldiers strengthen our resolve,” it said.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.

Militant violence and security operations intensified in March, with the number of attacks surpassing 100 for the first time since November 2014, according to a report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.

The country ranked second in the Global Terrorism Index 2025, with the number of deaths in terrorist attacks rising by 45 percent over the past year to 1,081.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised security forces for killing militants in three counter-terrorism operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

“The entire nation stands united with our security forces in the war against terrorism,” Sharif said. “We salute the martyrs”