• Emergency declared at Civil Hospital Zhob to treat the injured.
• Security men repel twin terror attacks in Bannu hours later.
• Authorities vow to eradicate terrorism from the country.

QUETTA/BANNU: A policeman and one Levies personnel were martyred and more than six others wounded when terrorists stormed police and Levies stations in Balochistan’s Sherani district, officials said on Wednesday, while two similar attacks were repelled in Bannu.

Deputy Commissioner Sherani, Hazrat Wali Kakar, said the assault also damaged the stations’ communication system. 

An emergency was declared at Civil Hospital Zhob to treat the injured.

“One Levies personnel has gone missing and two others are injured,” DC Kakar said and added that a search operation is underway to locate the missing Levies man.

Security sources said clearance operations had been ordered to eliminate any threats in the area, reaffirming that the security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country.

Hours later in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, terrorists first targeted the Miryan police station and, after being repelled, attacked the Mazang checkpoint, Regional Police Officer Sajjad Khan said. 

“Three terrorists were killed and four others wounded as their injured accomplices fled,” the senior police officer said, adding that three policemen sustained minor injuries. 

Police foiled both attacks with courage and tactical skill, according to RPO Khan.

The attacks come a day after the military’s media wing reported that five Pakistan Army soldiers, including a captain, were martyred in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Balochistan’s Kech district. 

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated that the IED struck the troops on September 15 during an intelligence-based sanitisation operation in Sher Bandi, Kech.

“As a result, five brave sons of the soil embraced martyrdom, including a captain,” the statement said.

In a follow-up action, security forces killed five terrorists linked to the Indian proxy group Fitna al Hindustan. Sanitisation operations in the surrounding area were continuing to clear any remaining militants.

Earlier in the day, security forces eliminated 31 terrorists belonging to the Indian proxy “Fitna al Khwarij” in two separate intelligence-based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district.

“During the conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged the khwarij location, and after an intense fire exchange, 14 Indian-sponsored khwarij were sent to hell”, the ISPR said.

The statement added that another intelligence-based operation was carried out in Bannu district, where security forces neutralised 17 more terrorists during the ensuing fire exchange.

The country has witnessed a surge in cross-border terror incidents since Taliban rulers returned to Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of KP and Balochistan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reiterated his resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country, saying that Afghanistan must choose between siding with terrorists or standing with Pakistan. 

He has warned there would be zero tolerance for ambiguity on the issue.

Pakistan has hosted Afghans for more than four decades, from the Soviet invasion through the Taliban takeover in 2021. Some refugees were born and raised in Pakistan; others are still waiting for third-country relocation.

According to media reports, following a 2023 crackdown on undocumented Afghans and those exceeding legal status, more than 554,000 Afghans have been returned since April 2025 under Pakistan’s Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan — including around 145,000 in August.

According to security sources, masterminds and facilitators of terrorism are based in Afghanistan and are being supported by India.

The two nations share a porous border spanning around 2,500 kilometres with several crossing points, which hold significance as a key element of regional trade and relations between the people across both sides of the fence.

However, the issue of terrorism remains a key issue for Pakistan, which has urged Afghanistan to prevent its soil from being used by groups such as the TTP to carry out attacks inside the former’s territory.

The country witnessed a sharp escalation in militant attacks in August, with incidents surging by 74% compared to July, according to a report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).

The Islamabad-based think tank recorded 194 fatalities from militant attacks during the month.