Security forces kill five militants in two KP intelligence-based operations: ISPR

ISLAMABAD: Security forces killed five militants in two intelligence-based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on May 7 and 8, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations.

The military’s media wing said one operation was carried out in Tank district after reports about the presence of militants in the area. Troops engaged the location of khawarij and, after what it described as an intense exchange of fire, killed four militants linked to the India-sponsored Fitna-al-Khwarij.

In a separate intelligence-based operation in Dera Ismail Khan district, one militant was killed after an exchange of fire, the ISPR said.

Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the slain militants. Those killed had been actively involved in a number of militant activities in the area.

The ISPR said a sanitisation operation was launched to clear the area of any other militant who might be present.

[…] relentless Counter Terrorism campaign under vision 'Azm e Istehkam' — as approved by Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan — by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored-and-supported terrorism from the country.

The latest operations come amid a rise in cross-border militant incidents, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Pakistan has repeatedly called on Kabul to ensure that Afghan territory is not used by militant organisations to launch attacks inside Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban government has not acted against groups involved in repeated attacks on Pakistani security personnel and civilians.

Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in February this year, several months after the two countries agreed to a ceasefire in October 2025 following clashes that were triggered by what it described as unprovoked gunfire by the Afghan Taliban at multiple border points.

Despite several rounds of talks, the two sides have not reached an agreement, with the deadlock attributed to the Afghan Taliban government’s unwillingness to move against militant groups operating from Afghan soil.

Operations in KP

The ISPR statement focused on the two latest intelligence-based operations in Tank and Dera Ismail Khan, where a total of five militants were killed. Security forces also recovered arms and ammunition and continued follow-up clearance efforts in the affected areas.