QUETTA: Pakistani security forces on Wednesday killed six militants during an intelligence-based operation in the Dalbandin area of Chagai district, Balochistan, according to security officials.
The operation was launched after surveillance teams detected the movement of a militant formation in the surrounding mountains. Officials said the engagement was swift and precise, leaving no survivors and neutralising a significant threat to nearby communities.
In a separate raid in Bajaur district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, forces targeted hideouts of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). A militant was killed during an exchange of fire in Shahi Tangi forest, while several others reportedly fled after sustaining injuries. Arms, explosives, and communication gear were seized from the site.
The operations come amid a spike in cross-border militant activity since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. Pakistan has blamed groups operating from Afghan soil for a series of deadly attacks in its border regions.
Earlier this month, militants linked to Taliban factions launched assaults on multiple army posts inside Pakistan, prompting retaliatory strikes that killed more than 200 fighters. Twenty-three Pakistani soldiers were also martyred in those clashes.
Both countries have since agreed to a temporary ceasefire, with delegations from Islamabad and Kabul due to meet in Istanbul, Türkiye, on October 25 to discuss ways to ease tensions and strengthen border security.
