Pakistan says 37 militants killed in operations targeting terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan
By The South Asia Times
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s security forces killed at least 37 militants in ground and air operations targeting suspected terrorist hideouts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the border region with Afghanistan, the Ministry of Information said Monday.
The ministry said the operations followed a series of recent terrorist attacks against civilians in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
On Sunday, security forces conducted an intelligence-based ground operation in the Kohat and Hangu districts, killing nine militants whom the government described as members of “Fitna Al Khwarij,” a term Pakistani authorities use for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and associated militants. Several others were reportedly wounded.
The ministry said security forces subsequently carried out what it described as “selective” air strikes against militant camps and hideouts in the border region with Afghanistan.
According to the statement, three targets were destroyed, including a facility described as a suicide bomber training center. Twenty-eight militants, including several suicide bombers, were killed, while weapons and ammunition stored at the sites were also destroyed.
Pakistan said it took precautions to prevent civilian casualties and argued that the strikes were directed specifically at militant infrastructure.
“The threat to Pakistan emanates from Afghanistan,” the ministry said, describing Afghanistan as a continuing “hub of terrorism.”
The Afghan Taliban authorities have previously rejected allegations that Afghan territory is being used to support attacks against Pakistan.
Pakistan’s government said its counterterrorism campaign, Ghazab lil Haq, being conducted under the broader Azm-e-Istehkam framework, would continue against what it calls foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism.
The latest operations come amid persistent tensions between Islamabad and Kabul over cross-border militancy, with Pakistan repeatedly urging Afghan authorities to take action against militant groups operating from Afghan territory.
