Pakistan’s security forces have killed 29 militants in a series of intelligence-based operations along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, following a wave of terrorist attacks targeting civilians in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, and the Jamaat ul Ahrar assault on a Rangers facility in Karachi.
Information Minister Atta Tarar confirmed that an intelligence-based operation on June 28 in Bajaur district killed high-value militant commander Khan Farosh alias Zabal along with three other militants belonging to Jamaat ul Ahrar. Several additional militants were injured in the operation.
The Bajaur strike was followed by precision operations under Operation Ghazb Lil Haq targeting militant camps and hideouts across Afghanistan’s border provinces of Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar. Twenty-five militants were killed and three terrorist facilities destroyed. Large quantities of weapons and ammunition were also eliminated during the strikes.
Pakistan confirmed the operations form part of its ongoing counterterrorism campaign under the Azm-e-Istehkam strategy. Authorities reaffirmed their commitment to regional peace while maintaining that protecting Pakistani citizens remains the primary objective.
The operations come days after the Rangers headquarters attack in Karachi, which ISPR attributed to Jamaat ul Ahrar acting as an Indian proxy. The elimination of Khan Farosh directly links the Bajaur IBO to the same network responsible for the Karachi attack, signaling a targeted effort to dismantle the group’s command structure on both sides of the border.
