RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s security forces said it killed nine Khawarij in two intelligence-based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on December 5, the military said on Saturday.
The first operation took place in Tank district after reports of militant presence. Security forces engaged the militants, and seven were killed in an exchange of fire.
A second operation was carried out in Lakki Marwat district, where two militants were killed during a gun battle.
The military said weapons and ammunition were recovered. It added that the militants had been involved in attacks on security forces, law-enforcement agencies and civilians.
Sanitisation operations are under way in the area. The military said counterterrorism efforts under the “Azm-e-Istehkam” framework would continue to target foreign-sponsored militancy across the country.
Last month, the Pakistan Army had said it had conducted 4,910 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) since November 4, 2025, eliminating 206 terrorists, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
Overall this year, security forces carried out 67,023 IBOs, killing 1,873 terrorists, including 136 Afghan nationals. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounted for 12,857 operations, while Balochistan saw 53,309.
ISPR Director General, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, briefed senior journalists on national security, border management, counterterrorism efforts, and the shifting regional situation.
The DG said misleading narratives circulate about Pakistan’s border management. He noted the Pakistan-Afghanistan border stretches 1,229 kilometers, traversing rugged terrain with 20 official crossing points. Checkposts are often 20–25 kilometers apart, complicating movement control. Villages divided across the border further increase operational challenges.
