ISLAMABAD: Security forces killed seven Fitna al-Khwarij militants in an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, security sources said on Friday. The North Waziristan operation also wiped out several of the group’s hideouts.
Sources said the raid targeted India-backed militants and was part of the Azm-e-Istehkam campaign. Troops recovered weapons and ammunition from the site.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces for the operation.
A Second Operation in Two Days
This was not the first strike this week. A day earlier, forces killed nine Fitna al-Khwarij militants in the same district, according to security sources. Those operations covered the Palangzai, Nadeem Kot and Kot Khazri areas.
Taken together, the two operations have killed 16 militants in North Waziristan in just two days.
Militant Attacks at a 12-Year High
The operations come as violence keeps climbing. Since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021, Pakistan has faced a sharp rise in cross-border attacks, mainly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. September 2026 was the worst month in 12 years.
The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an independent Islamabad-based think tank that tracks anti-state violence, counted 225 militant attacks across the country in September. That is up 13% from 199 in August, and the third monthly increase in a row.
Islamabad and Kabul Still Divided
Islamabad has repeatedly asked Kabul to stop militant groups from using Afghan territory to attack Pakistan. It says the Afghan Taliban authorities have done little to act against groups targeting Pakistani security forces and civilians.
Despite several rounds of talks, the two governments remain at odds. Militant groups operating from Afghan soil are still the main sticking point.