Pakistan Kills 38 Islamist Fighters In Northwest

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI (Worthy News) – Pakistani security forces killed 38 Islamist militants in a series of intelligence-led raids near the Afghan border, the military confirmed Tuesday, adding to concerns among minority Christians and refugees in Pakistan’s volatile northwest.

Troops launched the first operation on Sunday in the district of Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where 10 Pakistani Taliban (TTP) fighters were killed. A second raid in North Waziristan, a mountainous tribal district long considered a stronghold of the TTP and other insurgent groups, eliminated five more militants, including a commander, officials said.

On Monday, security forces also carried out twin raids in the northwestern districts of Bajaur — a rugged border region long infiltrated by militants — and Bannu, a nearby district hosting significant displaced and refugee populations. These operations killed 23 additional TTP fighters, according to the military.

Authorities described the slain fighters as “Khawarij,” a term used for militants Pakistan alleges are backed by Afghanistan and India, including those linked to the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan — accusations both Kabul and New Delhi deny.

REGIONAL TENSIONS

The Pakistani Taliban (TTP) is a separate but allied group to the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Kabul in 2021. Many TTP leaders are believed to operate from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan, contributing to strained relations between Islamabad and Kabul.

The latest raids highlight Pakistan’s ongoing struggle to contain insurgent networks in its northwest, where cross-border militant movement continues to complicate security efforts, Worthy News established.

The combination of militant activity, ongoing military operations, and the uncertain status of refugees there continues to place a significant humanitarian strain on the troubled region.

Large-scale security offensives in the northwest frequently trigger internal displacement. In the Bajaur district, previous military campaigns have forced tens of thousands of residents from their homes as troops targeted militant hide-outs.

AFGHAN REFUGEES

The wider Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province also hosts more than half of Pakistan’s Afghan refugee population, with over one million Afghans living there, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Yet refugee camps in several districts — including Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu, both impacted by the latest operations — have been de-notified or shut down by the government this year, raising concerns among aid groups about the fate of displaced Afghan families.

No immediate reports indicated that religious or faith minorities — including Christians — were targeted or affected in these latest operations.

However, rights groups warn that Christian and other minority communities remain vulnerable amid Pakistan’s broader militant violence and are often caught in the crossfire of insurgent and counterinsurgency activity.

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