Pakistan launches major anti-terror offensive, killing nearly 20 militants in northwest

On January 7, Pakistan’s armed forces reported that 19 militants and three soldiers were killed in a series of intelligence-driven counter-terrorism operations in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, near the Afghanistan border.

The military stated that the fatalities occurred during raids on suspected militant hideouts across three districts, including Peshawar, the provincial capital, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The insurgents were identified as members of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned militant group accused of carrying out deadly attacks across the country. The military referred to them as "khwarij," a term used by Pakistan’s government for such militants.

The death toll of insurgents cannot be independently verified, and the TTP did not immediately respond to the military’s claims. These clashes mark the first significant confrontation between Pakistani security forces and anti-state militants in 2025, following a year of heightened militant activity in 2024.

In 2024, insurgent violence led to over 1,600 deaths across Pakistan, including nearly 700 members of the military and police. The TTP and separatist groups in Balochistan province were responsible for much of the violence. The Islamabad-based Independent Center for Research and Security Studies labelled 2024 as the deadliest year for Pakistani security forces in a decade.

The TTP recently issued a warning, promising to escalate attacks on security personnel and military-owned commercial enterprises. The group urged workers in military-run businesses to find alternative employment within three months and cautioned civilians against engaging with these companies. The Pakistani government and military have not yet responded to the TTP’s threat.

The escalation in militant activities has also strained Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan’s Taliban government. Islamabad accuses the TTP of operating from sanctuaries within Afghanistan, with support from the Taliban. Kabul has denied these allegations, asserting that foreign militants do not operate on Afghan soil.

Tensions intensified in December when Pakistan allegedly conducted airstrikes on TTP hideouts in an Afghan border province, resulting in dozens of casualties. Taliban authorities condemned the airstrikes, claiming nearly 50 civilians, including Pakistani refugees, were killed. While the Pakistani government has not publicly acknowledged the strikes, anonymous officials confirmed that more than 25 senior TTP commanders were among the dead.

Both the Pakistani and Afghan accounts of the airstrikes remain unverified.

By Aghakazim Guliyev