11 soldiers, 19 TTP militants killed in clash in northwest Pakistan

Peshawar: Nineteen terrorists of the outlawed TTP and 11 soldiers were killed during an intelligence-based operation in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said.

The operation was conducted by the security forces in the province's Orakzai district, bordering Afghanistan, on the reported presence of terrorists belonging to 'Fitna al-Khawarij' on the intervening night of October 7-8, the military's media wing said in a statement.

The term Fitna al-Khawarij is used for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terror group.

During the intense exchange of fire between security forces and the militants, 19 terrorists "were sent to hell", the statement said, adding that 11 Pakistani soldiers, including a Lieutenant Colonel and a Major, were killed.

A sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists in the area, the statement added.

Pakistan has seen a surge in militant attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, after the banned TTP called off its ceasefire with the government in November 2022 and vowed to target security forces, police, and law enforcement agencies.

According to the latest statistics issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the worst-hit region in the country in the third quarter of 2025. It suffered nearly 71 per cent (638) of the total violence-linked fatalities, and over 67 per cent (221) of the incidents of violence.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan — both of which share a porous border with neighbouring Afghanistan — faced the brunt of the terrorism incidents, accounting for more than 96 per cent of the total violence across the country.