ISPR says 74 militants killed in KP and Balochistan operations

Security forces have killed 74 militants in a series of intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday. The military describes those killed as India-backed, a characterisation that comes from the ISPR statement.

Of the total, 31 were killed in the Kurram area of Quetta district and 43 in the Mir Ali and Orakzai areas of KP.

Operations in Balochistan and KP

In Balochistan, the ISPR said security forces have been carrying out a comprehensive area sanitisation operation in Quetta district's Kurram area since November 3. The operation targets militants it calls Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan. Multiple hideouts were engaged, and 31 militants were killed after repeated engagements.

In KP, the military said the operations have been widened to Mir Ali and Orakzai. Over the previous 48 hours, troops engaged several militant locations in what the ISPR called intense exchanges of fire. It said 35 militants were killed in Mir Ali and eight in Orakzai.

The ISPR said a large cache of weapons, ammunition and explosives was recovered in both provinces. In KP, this included homemade explosives and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The military said the haul had thwarted plans to use them in attacks.

I salute the security forces for sending a large number of terrorists to hell

Mohsin Naqvi, Interior Minister

Reaction from the leadership

President Asif Ali Zardari praised the security forces, saying their continued successes reflected national resolve and professional capability. He said the complete elimination of foreign-sponsored networks of Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan was a national security imperative.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the officers and personnel involved. He commended them for destroying multiple hideouts and recovering a large quantity of weapons and explosives.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also lauded their courage and professionalism. He described the personnel as the nation's "proud asset".

Mastung attack a day earlier

A day before the ISPR announcement, security forces foiled an attack on Kandawa Post on National Highway N-25 in Balochistan's Mastung district. Three attackers were killed in a retaliatory operation.

A Balochistan Police spokesperson said the attackers tried to target the post with an explosives-laden vehicle. The blast killed two civilians, Kaleemullah and Bibi Laiba, and injured 16 others: three Frontier Corps personnel and 13 civilians. Nearby houses and a mosque were also damaged.

The wider security picture

Pakistan has seen a surge in militant violence, particularly in KP and Balochistan, since 2021. The Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) found that the two provinces together accounted for nearly 96% of violence-related deaths in the second quarter of 2026. KP recorded 475 deaths and 151 incidents in that period; Balochistan recorded 265 deaths and 94 incidents.

Data from the monitoring group ACLED shows attacks in Pakistan rose nearly fourfold, from 658 in 2022 to 2,425 in 2025. Two security reports presented to the federal cabinet in October said terrorist incidents in KP rose 195 per cent between March 2024 and September 2026. They added that 73 per cent of attacks in the province in 2026 targeted police and security personnel.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban authorities of allowing the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate from Afghan territory. A UN Security Council monitoring report published in February 2026 said TTP attacks from Afghanistan had increased and that the group enjoyed greater liberty and support from the de facto authorities there.