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Pakistan's security forces launched two intelligence-led operations killing 13 terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The military vows to continue aggressive counterterror efforts amid rising violence.
Eight terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation in the Bannu district. (File Photo)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Jan 16, 2026 07:13 IST
Pakistan’s security forces said they struck twice during the night in the country’s restive northwest, killing 13 terrorists in separate intelligence-led operations as Islamabad presses. In a statement issued on Thursday, the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations, said the operations were carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the intervening night of January 13 and 14, according to a news agency PTI.
“Thirteen khawarij belonging to Fitna Al Khawarij were killed in two separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, using the term employed by Pakistani authorities for militants of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
SECOND OPERATION IN KURRAM DISTRICT
According to the statement, eight terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation in the Bannu district after security forces acted on reports of their presence. In a second operation in the Kurram district, five more terrorists were “neutralised.”
“Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other terrorist found in the area,” the ISPR said.
The latest actions follow another operation earlier this week in Balochistan’s Kalat district, where four militants were killed, underscoring the scale of Pakistan’s ongoing counterterror campaign.
Despite sustained military pressure, terrorist violence has surged. A recent report by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies found that terrorist attacks in Pakistan rose 34 percent in 2025, while terrorism-related fatalities increased by 21 percent compared with the previous year.
At a press conference last week, ISPR Director General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistani law enforcement agencies carried out 75,175 intelligence-based operations in 2025 alone.
Of those, 14,658 were conducted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 58,778 in Balochistan, and 1,739 in other parts of the country, he said.
Chaudhry added that Pakistan recorded 5,397 terror incidents last year, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounting for 71 percent of cases, followed by Balochistan at 29 percent.
The military says operations will continue as Pakistan grapples with persistent militant threats across its western regions.
- Ends
With inputs from PTI
Published By:
Satyam Singh
Published On:
Jan 16, 2026
