Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa – Eleven Pakistan Army personnel, including a lieutenant colonel and a major, lost their lives during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Orakzai district late Tuesday night, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The operation targeted militants belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij, a state-designated term for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), reportedly backed by India. “During the conduct of the operation, 19 Indian-sponsored khwarij were sent to hell due to effective engagement by own troops,” the ISPR said.
Lieutenant Colonel Tariq, 39, and his second-in-command Major Rahat, 39, both residents of Rawalpindi, led the operation from the front and were among those who lost their lives.
The fallen soldiers also included Naib Subedar Azam Gul (38, Khyber), Naik Adil Hussain (35, Kurram), Naik Gul Ameer (34, Tank), Lance Naik Sher Khan (31, Mardan), Lance Naik Talish Faraz (32, Mansehra), Lance Naik Irshad Hussain (32, Kurram), Sepoy Tufail Khan (28, Malakand), Sepoy Aqib Ali (23, Swabi), and Sepoy Muhammad Zahid (24, Tank).
The TTP faction Itihad-ul-Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack. ISPR said sanitization operations are underway to clear the area of remaining militants, reaffirming that “the sacrifices of our brave soldiers strengthen our resolve to eliminate Indian-sponsored terrorism from Pakistan.”
Funeral prayers for the slain soldiers were held at Chaklala Garrison, attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, federal ministers, and senior civil and military officials. The soldiers will be laid to rest with full military honors in their native towns.
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The operation comes amid Pakistan’s renewed diplomatic push for regional cooperation against terrorism. On the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), foreign ministers from China, Iran, Pakistan, and Russia convened the fourth Quadripartite Meeting on Afghanistan, emphasizing the need for Kabul to take “effective, concrete and verifiable actions” against groups like TTP, Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), Al-Qaeda, and Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
The Orakzai operation is the latest in a string of counterterror efforts across Pakistan. On October 1, seven Fitna al-Khawarij militants were killed in Balochistan’s Sherani district, while 17 were neutralized in Lakki Marwat on September 27.
Recent security operations in Bajaur also uncovered secret tunnels used by TTP militants for storing weapons and hiding from security forces. Officials said these discoveries underscore how militants exploit civilian areas, reaffirming the state’s resolve to eliminate all terror networks operating within its borders.
