Pakistan’s military said on Saturday that security forces killed 21 suspected militants, including four senior commanders, during a series of intelligence-based counterterrorism operations in the North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border, according to The News.
According to a statement issued by the military’s media wing, the operations were conducted over the past 72 hours in and around the town of Miran Shah, an area that has long been affected by militant activity. Security personnel reportedly targeted several suspected militant hideouts after receiving intelligence about their presence.
The military identified the four commanders killed in the operations as Khalid Raza, also known as Salar, Muftoon, Musa, and Imran, also known as Ayan. Officials said the men were wanted in connection with multiple attacks on security forces and civilians.
Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the sites of the operations, the statement added. The military said the militants were linked to a number of violent incidents in the region.
The latest operation follows a similar security raid carried out in North Waziristan last week, in which authorities said 27 militants were killed. Combined with the recent operation, Pakistan’s military says a total of 48 militants have been killed in the district in recent days.
Security forces continue to conduct clearance operations in the area to locate and eliminate any remaining militant elements. Pakistani authorities said their nationwide counterterrorism campaign would continue as part of broader efforts to improve security and combat extremist violence.
The operations come amid an increase in militant attacks across Pakistan, particularly in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the southwestern province of Balochistan. Pakistani officials have repeatedly expressed concern over the activities of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other armed groups operating near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have also faced strain in recent years over security concerns and cross-border militancy, with both sides exchanging accusations regarding the presence of armed groups operating from their respective territories.
