RAWALPINDI; Security forces have eliminated 34 “India-backed” terrorists during a series of intelligence-based operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past three days, the military’s media wing announced on Thursday.
According to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), “From 13 to 15 October 2025, thirty-four khawarij belonging to the Indian-proxy group Fitna-al-Khawarij were killed in multiple engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.” The term “Fitna-al-Khawarij” is used by the state for militants associated with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The operations were conducted in North Waziristan, South Waziristan, and Bannu districts. The first operation took place in Spinwam, North Waziristan, where security forces effectively targeted militant hideouts. After a fierce gun battle, 18 terrorists were killed.
A second intelligence-based operation in South Waziristan resulted in the neutralisation of eight more terrorists following heavy exchange of fire. In a third encounter in Bannu district, security forces killed another eight militants.
Sanitisation operations are ongoing in the cleared areas to root out any remaining Indian-sponsored terrorists. The ISPR reaffirmed that Pakistan’s counterterrorism campaign under the vision of Azm-i-Istehkam, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, will continue with full force to eliminate foreign-backed militancy.
President Asif Ali Zardari praised the armed forces and law enforcement agencies for their successful actions, stating that their timely operations have improved peace and stability in the country. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also paid tribute to the forces for foiling terrorist plans through their professionalism, adding that the government will take all necessary measures to safeguard the people and the country’s sovereignty.
He reiterated that the counterterrorism campaign will continue vigorously until the complete eradication of terrorism.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist incidents, particularly in KP and Balochistan, since the TTP ended a fragile ceasefire with the state in November 2022 and vowed to target security forces, police, and law enforcement personnel.
ISPR DG Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry recently revealed that as of September 15, a total of 10,115 operations were conducted in 2025, killing 970 terrorists while 311 soldiers were martyred. In 2024, 14,535 operations in KP resulted in the deaths of 769 terrorists, including 58 Afghan militants, while 272 army and FC personnel, 140 policemen, and 165 civilians were martyred.
Lt Gen Chaudhry attributed the rise in terrorism to multiple factors, including the non-implementation of NAP, politicisation of counterterrorism efforts, India’s use of Afghan soil as a base for terrorism in Pakistan, supply of modern weapons to militants, and the terrorism-crime nexus with local and political backing.
Earlier on October 8, security forces killed 19 “Indian-sponsored terrorists” in an operation in Orakzai district, in which 11 military personnel, including a lieutenant colonel and a major, embraced martyrdom.
