PM Shehbaz, Naqvi praise security forces, reaffirm resolve to eliminate terrorism
Security forces killed 11 terrorists in separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan, targeting suspected members of Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan, security sources said on Thursday.
According to the sources, the operations, which were carried out in South Waziristan and Bannu in K-P and Khuzdar district in Balochistan, also resulted in the recovery of weapons and ammunition and the destruction of a terrorists’ hideout.
The federal government last year officially designated all terrorist groups operating in Balochistan as Fitna al-Hindustan, accusing India of sponsoring a proxy war through these outfits. Fitna al-Khawarij is the state-designated term for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
The high-tempo intelligence-driven operations were conducted as part of the ongoing Rad-ul-Fitna-3 campaign, which the military’s media wing has described as a counterterrorism operation aimed at eliminating Indian proxies.
In Bannu, “two terrorists affiliated with Fitna al-Khawarij were killed, with weapons and ammunition recovered. The terrorists’ hideout was also destroyed using explosives,” the sources said.
Five terrorists were killed during an IBO in the Ladha area of South Waziristan. Security forces had tracked the movement of the terrorists following a tip-off and surrounded them before launching an operation, the sources said.
In Sasol, in Khuzdar district, four terrorists affiliated with Fitna al-Hindustan were killed. Security forces targeted the terrorists with the help of quadcopters, according to security sources.
Read: Five terrorists, including key commander, killed in IBO in Balochistan’s Panjgur: security sources
The sources said, “the operations were conducted with measures in place to protect civilians and that no loss of life or property among the local population was reported.”
Security forces would continue operations under the government’s “Azm-e-Istehkam” vision until the threat of terrorism was eliminated, the security sources concluded.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to security forces for a successful operation against terrorists in Bannu district. He praised the security forces for killing 11 terrorists during the operation. “The entire nation stood with the security forces in the war against terrorism,” he said.
“We were determined to completely eliminate all forms of terrorism from the country,” he added.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised the security forces for their successful operations and commended the forces’ professionalism. “The brave sons of the security forces are a source of pride for us,” Naqvi said, adding that the nation stood shoulder to shoulder with the security forces in the fight against terrorism.
Rising terrorism
Meanwhile, on August 18, security forces killed more than nine terrorists in different IBOs in Ziarat, Harnai and Surab districts of Balochistan. A day before that, on Monday, security forces killed six terrorists in separate IBOs in Balochistan, with four killed in an operation in the border area between Ziarat and Harnai and two others in Killi Zaik.
On August 16, seven terrorists affiliated with Fitna-al-Khawarij were killed, and several others incapacitated in an IBO in Balochistan’s Kharan district, according to security sources. The operation was carried out in the Lajay area of Kharan under Operation Radd-ul-Fitna-3 following intelligence reports about the presence of terrorists.
In an operation on August 10, security forces killed five terrorists, including a key commander identified as Wazir, son of Jamal, in Balochistan’s Panjgur district, according to security sources. The operation was carried out in the Sarkeni and Chidgi areas under Operation Radd-ul-Fitna-3.
Before that, on August 9, security forces eliminated 15 terrorists in IBOs across Mastung, Bolan, Washuk, Awaran, Sibi, Khuzdar, Harnai and Noshki under Operation Radd-ul-Fitna-3. A large quantity of weapons and ammunition was also recovered, while the operations significantly disrupted the terrorists’ network and restricted their movement across Balochistan, the sources said.
Also on August 6, security forces killed 12 terrorists belonging to Fitna al-Hindustan during IBOs in the Washuk and Mastung districts of Balochistan, the military’s media wing reported.
Terrorism is a growing problem for Pakistan, with the number of attacks rising every year since 2022, according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), a global monitoring organisation. Data from ACLED shows attacks in Pakistan rose nearly fourfold to 2,425 in 2025 from 658 in 2022, and over the same period, TTP attacks increased more than sevenfold to 838 from 118.
Read More: Six terrorists killed in separate IBOs in Balochistan
Although Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has borne the brunt of terrorism, Balochistan has also remained a major target of Indian proxies, which often target civilians and military installations in the province.
In one such attack on the last day of 2025, terrorists targeted innocent civilians in Balochistan’s Gwadar and Kharan districts, where 18 people, including women, children, the elderly and labourers, embraced martyrdom.
The forces continued operations across the provinces against what the state describes as Indian-sponsored terrorists and their proxies, but despite these efforts, the groups have continued to target civilian and defence installations.
Earlier this month, at least 30 people, including 27 police personnel, were martyred when terrorists identified by the state as the Indian proxy Fitna al-Hindustan ambushed police personnel deployed in the Kach Mangi Phase III area of Ziarat, triggering hours-long gun battles. The attackers also abducted several civilians and police personnel after the assault.
In the aftermath of the attack, the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps and Balochistan Police launched a joint operation, which remains underway, with forces intensifying action against terrorists across the province.
