Thirteen Militants Killed in Overnight Raids by Pakistani Security Forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Pakistan’s security forces carried out two separate overnight operations in the country’s volatile northwest, killing thirteen militants in intelligence-based raids, the military said on Thursday. The operations took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the intervening night of January 13 and 14, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistani military, as reported by news agency PTI.

“Thirteen khawarij belonging to Fitna Al Khawarij were killed in two separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,” the ISPR said, using the term commonly employed by Pakistani authorities to describe militants affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Kurram District Operation

According to the ISPR, eight militants were killed during an intelligence-based operation in the Bannu district after security forces received actionable information about the presence of terrorists in the area. In a second, separate operation conducted in Kurram district, five additional militants were “neutralized,” the statement said.

“Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other terrorist found in the area,” the ISPR added, indicating that follow-up searches were underway to ensure the region was cleared of militant elements.

The latest operations underscore the scope and intensity of Pakistan’s ongoing counterterrorism campaign. They come shortly after another security operation earlier this week in Balochistan’s Kalat district, where four militants were killed during a separate engagement with security forces.

Despite sustained military pressure, militant violence has continued to rise across Pakistan. A recent report by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies revealed that terrorist incidents increased by 34 percent in 2025 compared to the previous year, while fatalities linked to terrorism rose by 21 percent.

ISPR Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said during a press briefing last week that Pakistani law enforcement and security agencies conducted a total of 75,175 intelligence-based operations across the country in 2025 alone.

Of these, 14,658 operations were carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 58,778 in Balochistan, and 1,739 in other parts of the country, highlighting the concentration of militant activity in Pakistan’s western provinces.

Chaudhry further noted that Pakistan recorded 5,397 terrorist attacks last year, with 71 percent occurring in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the remaining 29 percent in Balochistan.

As Pakistan continues to grapple with persistent extremist threats along its western frontier, the military has reiterated that counterterrorism operations will remain ongoing to restore stability and prevent further attacks.