ISLAMABAD: Security forces have eliminated nine terrorists belonging to Fitna al-Khwarij during intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in multiple areas of North Waziristan, security sources said on Thursday.
According to the sources, the operations were carried out in Palangzai, Nadeem Kot and Kot Khazri after receiving intelligence about the presence of militants in the areas.
During the operations, security personnel targeted and destroyed several terrorist hideouts. A substantial quantity of weapons, ammunition and other equipment was also recovered from the slain militants, the sources said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces for successfully eliminating the nine terrorists and commended their continued efforts to eradicate militancy from the country.
The latest action comes a day after security forces killed 18 India-backed militants in separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
In one of the operations, 13 militants were killed after security forces targeted terrorist positions in North Waziristan and adjoining areas. In a separate action in Mastung, Balochistan, five militants associated with Fitna al-Hindustan were killed, according to security sources.
Pakistan has faced a growing threat of cross-border terrorism, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.
The country witnessed its highest monthly number of militant attacks in 12 years in September 2026. Data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based think tank that monitors militant violence, showed that 225 attacks were recorded nationwide during the month, up from 199 in August.
The 13% increase marked the third consecutive month in which militant attacks rose across Pakistan.
Islamabad has repeatedly called on the Afghan Taliban administration to take concrete steps to prevent militant groups from using Afghan territory to launch attacks against Pakistan.
Pakistan maintains that Kabul has failed to take effective action against organisations allegedly involved in attacks on Pakistani security forces and civilians.
Despite several rounds of engagement between the two sides, Islamabad and Kabul remain divided over the issue, with the alleged presence and activities of militant groups on Afghan soil continuing to be a major source of tension.
