Pakistan army says 34 militants killed in security operations

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) – Pakistan’s army said Thursday that at least 34 militants were killed during a series of security operations in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

According to a statement from Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, the operations were conducted between Oct. 13 and 15 in Bannu, North Waziristan, and South Waziristan districts, which border Afghanistan.

Security forces killed 18 militants in the Spinwam area of North Waziristan during an intelligence-based operation, while eight others were killed in South Waziristan, the statement said.

In a separate encounter in Bannu district, security forces successfully neutralized another eight militants, it added.

Last week, the army said its forces killed at least 30 militants in Orakzai district who were allegedly involved in a recent attack on security personnel.

Pakistan has witnessed a resurgence in militant violence in recent years. Authorities in Islamabad accuse the Afghan administration of failing to stop members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from using Afghan soil to stage attacks in Pakistan.

Afghanistan denies the accusations, saying it remains committed to preventing its territory from being used for cross-border attacks.