Rawalpindi, October 17, 2025: Pakistan’s security forces have killed 108 militants linked to the group Fitna al-Khawarij over the past four days, security sources told reporters on Friday, as counter-terrorism operations intensified amid heightened border tensions with Afghanistan.
The casualties follow a series of intelligence-based operations (IBOs) across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, officials said. In an operation on Friday in the Sultan Khel area of Lakki Marwat district, forces reported killing eight militants. Security sources said roughly 50 militants were killed in a single operation the previous day after troops foiled an infiltration attempt in KP.
“Security forces remain dedicated to eradicating terrorism and safeguarding the country,” a military spokesperson said in a statement, adding that multiple IBOs were carried out in recent days to dismantle militant networks operating from across the border.
Officials said the intensified campaign was launched in response to what they described as a coordinated attack by Taliban-affiliated militants on Pakistan army positions on October 11. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban regime of allowing militant groups to operate from Afghan soil and of failing to act against them.
The security establishment says Taliban elements and their proxies mounted an unprovoked assault on Pakistani posts earlier this month. The military response, according to official statements, included precision strikes on militant hideouts along the border and operations inside Afghanistan; Islamabad says these measures inflicted heavy losses on militant ranks.
Security sources claimed that Pakistani forces had killed “over 200” Afghan Taliban and affiliated militants in retaliatory strikes, while acknowledging that 23 soldiers lost their lives during the border clashes. These figures have been circulated by military sources and have not been independently verified.
Following the cross-border exchanges, the Afghan Taliban regime requested a 48-hour ceasefire, which Pakistan accepted, and border clashes subsided while the truce held. The Foreign Office announced both sides had agreed to the temporary halt in hostilities.
However, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned the ceasefire was “fragile” and reiterated Islamabad’s readiness to respond if further hostilities resumed. Speaking on Geo News, he said Pakistan retained the “right and the capability” to strike if its forces or territory were targeted again.
Military sources said the recent operations were intelligence-driven and targeted suspected facilitators, commanders and hideouts linked to Fitna al-Khawarij and other militant outfits. Security officials emphasised that operations would continue until the threat was neutralised.
Local administrations in affected districts have been placed on alert and checkpoints tightened as security agencies sustain sweeps and follow-up raids. Authorities have also tightened controls at border crossing points amid efforts to prevent further infiltrations.
Islamabad has repeatedly called on the Taliban leadership in Kabul to take concrete action against groups using Afghan territory to attack Pakistan. Pakistani officials allege that some militant networks receive external support and logistical backing, a charge the Afghan authorities have denied.
The military framed the recent operations as part of an ongoing drive to secure Pakistan’s borders and protect civilian populations, while warning that any violation of the ceasefire would invite a forceful response.
