KOHAT: At least six terrorists were killed during a joint operation carried out by the Counter Terrorism Department and police in Kohat on Sunday, officials said.
District Police Officer Shehbaz Elahi confirmed that the raid took place in the Lachi area. He said security forces engaged the militants during the operation, killing six of them and seizing weapons from the site.
According to the DPO, the area has been sealed off while a search operation continues to ensure no militants remain in the vicinity.
The action comes amid heightened counterterrorism efforts in the province following a recent surge in violence. A day earlier, the CTD conducted an intelligence-based raid that also resulted in the killing of six suspected militants.
The operation follows a deadly explosion on Friday near a police vehicle in the Bettani tribal area, where at least seven police personnel were martyred.
Pakistan has witnessed an increase in militant activity in border provinces, particularly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
In response, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, during which hundreds of Afghan Taliban fighters were reportedly killed in strikes along the border and inside Afghan territory.
According to Attaullah Tarar, the operation left more than 887 fighters injured, destroyed 249 militant checkposts and eliminated numerous tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery systems. He also said that around 70 militant locations across Afghanistan were targeted in air operations.
Before this campaign, Pakistan had also launched airstrikes on seven militant hideouts linked to Fitna al Khawarij, its affiliates and Islamic State – Khorasan Province along the border.
Security sources said those strikes were conducted in the Afghan provinces of Nangarhar, Paktika, and Khost, where more than 80 militants were reportedly killed.
Pakistan and Afghanistan also experienced border clashes in October 2025 after attacks on Pakistani border posts by Afghan Taliban fighters and allied militants. The fighting resulted in the deaths of more than 200 militants, while 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred.
