Security forces on Saturday killed four militants in an intelligence-based operation in northwest Pakistan, police said. According to the police, the operation was carried out in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s Bannu district.
The operation was part of an ongoing counterterrorism campaign under the federal Government’s “Azm-e-Istehkam” vision against militants belonging to Fitna-al-Khawarij, police said.
Pakistan uses the term “Fitna-al-Khawarij” for the banned terror outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has carried out recurring attacks in the province bordering Afghanistan since its ceasefire deal with the federal Government ended in November 2022. A substantial quantity of arms and ammunition was also recovered from the slain militants, police said.
Following the operation, a clearance operation was underway in the area to eliminate any other suspected militants, they said.
According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, excluding the merged tribal districts, recorded 40 militant attacks in October, down from 58 in September. The attacks claimed 38 lives, compared with 90 in the previous month, while security forces killed 42 militants in counterterrorism operations during October. However, militant attacks across Pakistan increased by 53 per cent during the first 10 months of 2026 compared with the corresponding period last year, reflecting the continuing security challenges.