Islamabad, June 29, 2026: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Monday said Pakistan’s security forces killed 29 militants during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Bajaur district and subsequent precision strikes targeting terrorist hideouts along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
In a statement posted on X, Tarar said the operations were launched in response to recent terrorist attacks targeting civilians in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, as well as the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) camp in Karachi.
He said security forces conducted a carefully planned intelligence-led ground operation in Bajaur on June 28 against militants affiliated with the banned Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Fitna al-Khawarij, which Pakistan says operate as Indian proxies.
According to the minister, the operation resulted in the killing of high-value militant commander Khan Farosh alias Zabal and three other Jamaat-ul-Ahrar militants, while several others were injured.
Tarar said that, as part of the ongoing Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, security forces carried out calibrated precision strikes overnight between June 28 and 29 against terrorist camps and hideouts located in border regions.
He said three militant targets in Afghanistan’s Paktia, Paktika and Kunar provinces were destroyed during the operation, killing 25 militants. Large caches of weapons and ammunition stored at the camps were also destroyed, he added.
The information minister reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace and stability but said the country would not compromise on the safety and security of its citizens.
He said the government’s counterterrorism campaign under the Azm-e-Istehkam strategy would continue with full resolve to eliminate terrorism sponsored from across the border.
Pakistan has witnessed a sharp increase in terrorist attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since 2021 following the return of the Afghan Taliban to power in Kabul.
The latest operations come amid heightened security tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Afghan authorities to prevent militant groups from using Afghan territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan, while maintaining that counterterrorism operations will continue to protect national security.
