As part of ongoing efforts to eliminate terrorism, security forces have neutralized 23 Indian-backed Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists in separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported on Thursday. According to the military’s media wing, on November 19, 12 terrorists were killed during an intense exchange of fire in a targeted operation based on intelligence regarding militant presence. “Acting on further intelligence about another group of Khawarij in the same area, troops carried out an additional operation, successfully neutralizing 11 more terrorists,” the ISPR statement added. The statement noted that sanitization operations are ongoing to root out any remaining militants in the area. The military emphasized that Pakistan will continue its relentless counterterrorism campaign, under the vision ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’, as approved by the federal apex committee on the National Action Plan, targeting all foreign-sponsored and supported terrorist elements. This development follows a series of anti-terror operations across the country, which have resulted in the elimination of dozens of terrorists in recent days. A day earlier, the ISPR reported the killing of four terrorists in KP between November 17 and 18 — one in Bajaur, two in Spinwam and Zakir Khel, and one in Dera Ismail Khan. Prior to that, 23 militants were neutralized in two intelligence-based operations in Bajaur and Bannu from November 16 to 17. These operations come amid a rise in terrorist incidents in Pakistan, including a recent suicide blast at Islamabad’s Judicial Complex on November 11, which left 12 people dead and at least 36 injured, including lawyers and petitioners. Pakistan has faced increased cross-border terrorist incidents since the Taliban regime returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. KP and Balochistan, the two bordering provinces, have borne the brunt of these attacks. KP alone recorded over 600 terror incidents, in which at least 79 police personnel were martyred alongside 138 civilians, during the first eight months of 2025, according to a police report. Pakistan has consistently urged the Afghan Taliban to abide by the 2020 Doha agreement, in which they committed to not allowing their soil to be used against any country.
Security Forces Kill 23 India-Supported Militants in Kurram Operation
