Security forces kill 34 terrorists in multiple engagements across KP: ISPR

Security forces have killed 34 “India-backed” terrorists during multiple operations that took place across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the last three days, the military’s media wing said in a statement on Thursday.

According to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), “From 13-15 October 2025, thirty-four khawarij belonging to Indian-proxy Fitna-al-Khawarij were killed in multiple engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.”

Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The security forces, per the ISPR, conducted intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in North Waziristan, South Waziristan, and Bannu districts of the province.

The first operation, it said, was carried out in the Spinwam area of North Waziristan district.

“During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij’s location, and after an intense fire exchange, eighteen khawarij were sent to hell,” it said.

According to the statement, another IBO was conducted in the South Waziristan district, during which eight more terrorists were neutralised following an intense exchange of fire with the security forces.

“In [the] third encounter, [which] took place in [the] Bannu district, own troops successfully neutralised eight more khawarij.”

The ISPR added that sanitisation operations were being carried out in the said areas “to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored kharji”.

It further said that a “relentless counterterrorism campaign under the vision of Azm-i-Istehkam^[1] — as approved by the Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan (NAP)^[2] — by security forces and law enforcement agencies (LEAs) of Pakistan, will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.”

President Asif Ali Zardari, in a statement, lauded the armed forces and security agencies for successfully carrying out the counterterrorism operations, saying that the “timely actions of the security forces have improved the peace and stability situation in the country.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also paid tribute to the security forces for “thwarting the nefarious plans of the terrorists with their professional expertise.” In a statement, he said that all possible measures will be taken for the safety of the Pakistani people and the country’s integrity.

“The counter-terrorism campaign will continue with full vigour until the complete eradication of the menace of terrorism from the country,” he said.

Pakistan has been witnessing a rise in terrorist incidents, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the TTP broke^[3] a fragile ceasefire deal with the state in November 2022 and vowed to target security officials, police, and LEAs personnel.

Last week, ISPR Director General (DG) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said^[4] that as of September 15, a total of 10,115 operations were conducted in 2025. During these operations, 970 terrorists were killed, while 311 Pakistan army personnel were martyred.

He added that in 2024, 14,535 intelligence-based operations were conducted in KP during which 769 terrorists, including 58 Afghan terrorists, were killed and 272 army and FC personnel and 140 policemen were martyred, while 165 civilians lost their lives.

Lt Gen Chaudhry attributed the surge in terrorist incidents across the country to several factors, including the non-implementation of the NAP, the politicisation of counterterrorism efforts, India’s use of Afghanistan as a “base of operation for terrorism”^[5] in Pakistan, the supply of modern weapons^[6] to militants in Afghanistan, and a “terrorism-crime nexus” that he said enjoyed “complete local and political backing.”

On October 8, security forces neutralised 19 “Indian-sponsored terrorists” during an operation in KP’s Orakzai district, according to the ISPR. However, eleven military personnel, including a lieutenant colonel and a major, were martyred^[7].

Additional reporting by Nadir Guramani.