RAWALPINDI: Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Sunday that security forces neutralised 13 India-backed terrorists during five separate intelligence-based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the military’s media wing, a series of high-tempo intelligence-driven operations were conducted during the night of March 6 and 7 as part of the ongoing counterterrorism campaign.
In an intelligence-based operation in Bajaur District, security forces engaged the terrorists’ hideout and killed five militants after an intense exchange of fire.
The ISPR said three more terrorists were killed in two separate encounters in Bannu District and Dera Ismail Khan District.
Similarly, five terrorists were neutralised during two additional engagements in Khyber District and South Waziristan District.
Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed militants, who were allegedly involved in multiple terrorist activities in the area.
The statement added that sanitisation operations were being conducted to eliminate any remaining militants, stressing that the counterterrorism campaign under the vision of Azm-e-Istehkam would continue with full force to eradicate foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country.
Pakistan’s security forces remain determined to defend the nation’s borders and ensure internal stability, the ISPR said.
The operations come as Pakistan faces increasing cross-border militant activity along its border with Afghanistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Authorities say the security situation deteriorated after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021.
In response to the rising attacks, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq to target militant networks along the border.
According to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, the operation has resulted in the killing of at least 527 Afghan Taliban fighters, while more than 755 others were injured.
Officials said 237 militant checkposts had been destroyed, 38 captured, and 205 tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery guns eliminated during the operation.
Earlier, Pakistani forces also targeted seven militant camps and hideouts along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border linked to Fitna al Khawarij and Islamic State – Khorasan Province (IS-K).
Security sources said the airstrikes were carried out in Nangarhar, Paktika and Khost provinces of Afghanistan, killing more than 80 militants.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have also resulted in border clashes in recent months. In October 2025, attacks by militants and Afghan Taliban fighters on Pakistani border posts triggered heavy fighting.
During those clashes, more than 200 militants were killed while 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred while defending the country’s borders.
Despite several rounds of talks, both countries have yet to reach an agreement as Pakistan continues to demand action against militant groups operating from Afghan territory.