Security forces killed 10 militants in two separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a day earlier, the military’s media wing said on Friday, as troops thwarted an attack on a checkpost and carried out a second targeted operation in Dir district. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the militants belonged to Fitna al Khwarij, the term used by the state for fighters linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which it described as Indian-sponsored.
Key Highlights
- Ten militants killed in two operations in South Waziristan and Dir district
- Eight killed after militants attempted to attack a checkpost in Azam Warsak
- Two more neutralized in a separate encounter in Dir
- Weapons and ammunition recovered from the militants
- President Zardari, PM Shehbaz praise security forces’ professionalism
On 6 August 2026, ten khwarij belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna-Al-Khwarij were killed in two separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.
In first encounter, a group of Khwarij belonging to Indian Proxy, Fitna Al Khwarij attempted to attack Security Forces Check Posts…
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) August 7, 2026
Attack on Checkpost Repelled in South Waziristan
According to ISPR, the first engagement unfolded when a group of militants attempted to storm security forces’ checkposts in the Azam Warsak area of South Waziristan. Troops repelled the attempt, and eight militants were killed in the exchange of fire that followed. In a separate operation in Dir district, security forces neutralized two more militants, ISPR said.
Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the militants killed in both operations, who ISPR said had remained “actively involved in numerous terrorist activities” in their respective areas. The military’s media wing added that sanitization operations were continuing in both locations to clear the surrounding areas of any remaining militants, and that the broader counterterrorism campaign would proceed at full pace to root out what it called “the menace of foreign sponsored and supported terrorism” from the country.
Leadership Praises Security Forces
President Asif Ali Zardari commended the security forces for eliminating the militants and for their professionalism in thwarting the attack in Azam Warsak. “The nation stands with its brave security forces and law enforcement agencies and views their sacrifices against terrorism with utmost appreciation,” he said, adding that what he described as attempts by Indian-sponsored elements to destabilize the country “will be thwarted at any cost.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif echoed similar sentiments, saying the government and the nation stood firmly behind the security forces in the ongoing fight against terrorism, and reiterating that elements operating under what he called Indian patronage would be confronted regardless of the cost involved.
Part of a Deadlier Summer
Friday’s announcement comes against the backdrop of a sharp rise in violence across the country in recent weeks. According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based think tank, July was the deadliest month of 2026 so far, with terrorist attacks and counterterrorism operations combined claiming 205 lives, including 112 security personnel. That toll underscores the scale of the challenge facing security forces even as operations like Thursday’s continue to target militant networks operating in the country’s northwest.
