22 TTP Militants Eliminated in Major Operation Near Afghanistan Border, Says Pakistan Army
22 TTP Militants Eliminated in Major Operation Near Afghanistan Border, Says Pakistan Army
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Pakistan’s military announced that it has killed at least 22 members of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) during a counterterrorism operation in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Khaama Press reported. The clashes took place in Bannu district, a hotspot of recent militant activity near the Afghanistan border.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the army’s media wing said the operation was conducted on November 24 after intelligence reports indicated militant movement in the area. The military described the fighting as “intense” but did not release details on its own casualties.
Pakistan’s army again alleged that the TTP maintains links with India, calling the group an “anti-Pakistan proxy force.” The TTP has repeatedly rejected such claims, while Indian officials have previously dismissed similar accusations.
Security analysts quoted by Pakistani media say the area’s proximity to Afghanistan makes it strategically significant, particularly after the TTP intensified cross-border attacks following the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in 2021.
The renewed violence comes at a time of worsening tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban authorities, with Pakistan blaming Afghanistan-based militants for a rise in deadly assaults on its soil. The Taliban deny hosting TTP militants.
Pakistan’s military said operations will continue “until the threat has been eliminated,” but residents and rights groups warn that insecurity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is escalating despite repeated government assurances of improved stability.
