Pakistani forces eliminate five TTP fighters in South Waziristan amid border violence surge

Security forces in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province conducted an intelligence-based operation in South Waziristan, killing five militants identified as members of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which the government labels Fitna al-Khawarij. Officials also recovered a substantial amount of weapons and ammunition. The raid follows a previous assault in North Waziristan that eliminated seven militants of the same group.

These missions are components of the Azm-e-Istehkam initiative, a broader effort to dismantle militant hideouts amid escalating violence on the Afghanistan border. Recent attacks, including a suicide bombing at a police checkpoint in Dera Ismail Khan and a car bomb at a mosque in Kohat, have caused significant casualties. Data from the Centre for Research and Security Studies shows Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounted for about 71% of Pakistan's violence-related deaths in the third quarter of 2025, while the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies reports a 12-year high in attacks in September 2026.