Security forces killed 31 militants during intelligence-based operations in Lakki Marwat and Bannu over the weekend, the military’s media wing said, as separate clashes and an IED attack in Balochistan added to a tense security picture across the country.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), an operation in Lakki Marwat’s Shaikh Badin mountain range ended after intense exchanges of fire and resulted in 14 “Khawarij” being eliminated; a follow-up operation in Bannu’s Bakkakhel area left 17 more militants neutralised. Local reports said fighter jets struck militant hideouts, destroying a community hall and a school used as safe havens and for storing weapons and explosives. The ISPR said sanitisation operations were continuing to remove any remaining elements.
In a separate and deadly incident in Kech district, Balochistan, an improvised explosive device detonated against a security vehicle near Mand, killing five security personnel including Captain Waqir Kakar. The banned Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the blast, according to official briefings and local reporting. Provincial leaders paid tribute to the martyred personnel while clearance operations were launched in the area.
The operations come amid a broader uptick in militant activity in Pakistan’s northwest that the military has been targeting through a mixture of intelligence raids and kinetic strikes. International and local outlets report recent rounds of operations across the border regions and the tribal districts as security agencies step up action against TTP-affiliated fighters and other groups.
Officials said the strikes and clearance operations were based on credible intelligence about militant movements and arms caches. Civilian harm was not reported in official releases, and local authorities said they were monitoring for any residual threat.
Analysts say these operations reflect Islamabad’s continuing emphasis on denying militants safe havens inside Pakistan while pressuring regional actors to prevent cross-border sanctuaries. The renewed operations and the violent response in Balochistan underline the dual challenge facing security agencies: disrupting organised militant infrastructure while protecting forces and civilians from retaliatory strikes and IED attacks.
