Two India-backed militants, including ring leader, killed in Bannu operation: ISPR

ISLAMABAD: Security forces killed two militants, including a ring leader, during an intelligence-based operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Monday.

According to the military’s media wing, the operation was carried out on April 19 after reports about the presence of militants in the area.

In a statement, the ISPR said that during the operation, troops engaged the militants in an intense exchange of fire.

"During conduct of the operation, after intense exchange of fire, two khwarij, belonging to Indian sponsored Fitna-al-Khwarij, including ring leader Waheedullah alias Muktiar, along with a suicide bomber were [killed]," the statement said, adding that security personnel also recovered a suicide jacket, weapons and ammunition from the dead militants.

The ISPR identified Waheedullah alias Muktiar as one of the most wanted militants and said he had been involved in a number of attacks, including incidents that led to the martyrdom of security personnel and civilians. "He [Waheedullah] was also main handler of a suicide bomber in Bannu District on 21 February 2026, resulting into [martyrdom] of Lieutenant Colonel Gul Faraz Shaheed," the ISPR stated.

The military’s media wing said the latest operation had avenged that attack and brought the main perpetrator to justice. It also said the action by security forces prevented a major catastrophe.

The ISPR said a sanitisation operation was continuing in the area to clear out any other militants linked to what it described as Indian-sponsored elements.

The counterterrorism campaign under the vision of Azm-e-Istehkam would continue at full pace to eliminate what it called foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.

Wider security backdrop

The development comes amid a broader rise in militant violence since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Pakistan has since witnessed a sharp increase in cross-border attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, the two provinces bordering Afghanistan.

In this context, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed on Monday that around 684 Afghan Taliban operatives and affiliated militants had been killed during the operation. He also said that more than 900 Afghan Taliban operatives had been injured and that 252 checkposts had been destroyed.

In October 2025, Pakistan and Afghanistan were also involved in border clashes after, the Afghan Taliban and militants launched what were described as unprovoked attacks on Pakistani border posts.

Those clashes resulted in the deaths of more than 200 Taliban and affiliated militants, while 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred while defending the country.

Despite several rounds of talks, the two sides were unable to reach an agreement because of what it described as the Afghan Taliban regime’s reluctance to act against militant groups.