Security forces kill 32 terrorists in K-P, Balochistan operations: ISPR

Security forces killed 32 terrorists, including 24 in Khyber district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and eight in Balochistan’s Nushki district, during two separate intelligence-based operations, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday.

The intelligence-based operations have been launched in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the area. Earlier, security forces launched Operation Shaban after terrorists attacked the Mangi Dam Police Station. A district and sessions judge and his security guard were also killed after unidentified armed men opened fire on their vehicle on the national highway in Mastung, while an additional sessions judge and another person sustained serious injuries.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operations were conducted “in continuation of security forces operations against the terrorist nexus of Indian sponsored Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan,” as part of a broader counterterrorism campaign.

Fitna al-Hindustan is the term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Balochistan Liberation Army and other groups in Balochistan. Whereas Fitna al-Khawarij is the state-designated term for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The ISPR said “comprehensive joint operations are being carried out in different parts of K-P and Balochistan to weed out terrorists and their facilitators,” adding that security forces had “successfully eliminated 32 terrorists” during the last 24 hours.

The military said that on the night of July 28–29, multiple intelligence-based area sanitisation and targeted operations were carried out in Khyber district, where security forces “effectively engaged different terrorist locations,” killing 24 terrorists whom it identified as belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij.

In a separate operation in Nushki district of Balochistan, security forces conducted multiple intelligence-based operations in which, after “an intense engagement,” eight terrorists belonging to Fitna al-Hindustan were killed, according to the ISPR.

The military said weapons, ammunition and improvised explosive devices used by the terrorists were “recovered and destroyed during operations.”

The ISPR added that sanitisation operations were being conducted to eliminate any other terrorist found in the area. It further said the “relentless Counter Terrorism campaign under vision ‘Azm-e-Istehkam'”, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, “will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.”

President Asif Ali Zardari paid tribute to the security forces and law enforcement agencies for the successful intelligence-based operations, praising their “professional capabilities” in killing 32 terrorists.

The president said Pakistan would “foil the nefarious designs of India-backed terrorist elements at all costs,” adding that “the nation stands with its brave armed forces.”

In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also commended the security forces for their successful operations. “We will continue the fight against terrorism until this menace is eliminated from the country,” the prime minister said.

He added that security forces were “effectively carrying out operations against terrorists seeking to undermine the peace of our beloved homeland.”

“The entire nation, including myself, stands shoulder to shoulder with the Armed Forces of Pakistan in our unwavering resolve to protect the homeland,” the prime minister said.

The news comes a day after three people, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were martyred, a truck driver was injured, six labourers were abducted, and five trailers along with two gas bowsers were torched in separate incidents across Balochistan.

UNSC confirms rise in TTP attacks from Afghanistan

Terrorism has significantly increased in Pakistan, particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, in recent days. The rise in terrorist activity has led to growing concerns over the security situation in these regions. In response, security forces have been conducting intensive operations to counter the threat, targeting terrorist groups.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC), in a report released in February, also drew attention to a series of attacks by the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) against Pakistani security forces and projects linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

“On September 16, 2025, the BLA ambushed a Pakistani military convoy patrolling the corridor, killing 32 troops. While counter-terrorism operations by Pakistan restricted the BLA’s operational space, it remained active”.

The report added that some member states reported that the BLA collaborated with the TTP and ISIL-K through shared training camps and resources, coordinating attacks and meetings between commanders. Some member states assessed that there was neither an association nor growing ties between the BLA and Al Qaeda or ISIL.

Also read: Three more terrorists killed in ongoing Operation Shaban: security sources

It further highlighted that various groups in Afghanistan had acquired modern weapons and equipment through cross-border smuggling and black-market trade. “TTP used advanced assault rifles, night-vision devices, thermal-imaging devices, sniper systems and drone attack systems. Most of these were provided by the de facto authorities in conjunction with weapons permits and travel documents,” it said.

In August 2025, the UN’s 1988 Taliban sanctions committee monitoring team’s annual report said outlawed terrorist groups – BLA, including its Majeed Brigade, and TTP had “close coordination”.

The UNSC report said “some BLA attacks showed a high degree of complexity and brutality”, citing the hijacking of the Jaffar Express in Balochistan on March 11, 2025, which killed 31 people, including 21 hostages.