Security forces kill 17 more terrorists in NW operation: ISPR

Security forces killed 17 more terrorists during a sanitisation operation in North Waziristan district near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said on Monday.

The operation follows the earlier neutralisation of 54 militants who attempted to infiltrate across the border, marking the highest number of terrorists killed in a single engagement during Pakistan’s anti-terrorism efforts.

According to the ISPR, the sanitisation operation was conducted in the Hassan Khel area. “During the conduct of the operation, seventeen more terrorists operating on behalf of their Indian handlers were hunted down and neutralised,” the statement said.

Security forces also recovered a large cache of weapons, ammunition, and explosives during the operation.

The ISPR added that the total number of militants killed in the three-day anti-infiltration operation had risen to 71. It reaffirmed the security forces' commitment to securing the country’s borders and preventing attempts to destabilise Pakistan’s peace and progress.

Pakistan has seen a surge in militant activity over the past year, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, following the collapse of a ceasefire between the government and the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in late 2022.

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According to a report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, militant violence spiked sharply in March 2025, with the number of attacks exceeding 100 for the first time since November 2014.

Pakistan was ranked second in the Global Terrorism Index 2025, with terrorist-related deaths rising by 45% over the past year to 1,081.