AP, Peshwar, Pakistan: Pakistan security forces killed 31 insurgents in two separate operations targeting militant hideouts in the country’s northwest. the military confirmed Monday.
According to a military statement, the overnight raids were conducted in Bannu and Laki Marwat districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, near the Afghan border. The slain militants were described as “Khwarij,” a term used by authorities for Pakistani Taliban fighters, though no further details were provided.
The operations follow a series of recent strikes in which the military killed 45 Pakistani Taliban members, but 19 soldiers also lost their lives in the clashes.
Pakistan has witnessed a rise in militant attacks in recent years, most claimed by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group separate from but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban, who took control of Kabul in 2021. Many TTP leaders and fighters are believed to have found refuge across the border.
Pakistani authorities have repeatedly accused India of supporting the TTP and separatist groups in Balochistan, allegations that New Delhi denies.
