DID Press: Pakistan’s military said on Friday that at least 49 militants affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other armed groups were killed in security operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, as the country faces a sharp rise in militant violence.
The Pakistan Army said 12 TTP-linked militants were killed in operations in Bannu, North Waziristan, Orakzai and Khyber districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Explosives, remote-control devices, improvised explosive devices, weapons, ammunition and motorcycles were also seized, according to the military.
In Balochistan, the army said 37 militants were killed in 10 separate operations across several areas. It added that clearance operations were continuing.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces and said Pakistan remained determined to eliminate terrorism. President Asif Ali Zardari also commended the forces, saying externally supported terrorism would not succeed in undermining the country’s peace and stability.
The operations come amid a significant increase in militant violence. According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), July was the deadliest month of 2026 so far, with 205 people killed, including 112 security personnel.
Balochistan recorded the sharpest increase in casualties, with the number of deaths rising from 109 in June to 372 in July. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, fatalities also increased, from 75 in June to 154 in July.
The latest figures underline the growing security challenge facing Pakistan, particularly in its western provinces bordering Afghanistan.