Pakistan carried out “precision strikes” along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border targeting terrorist hideouts, killing 26 Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists in response to recent terrorist attacks in the country, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday.

The statement comes a day after six Federal Constabulary (FC) embraced martyrdom while bravely confronting terrorists belonging to the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) during an operation in the Hassan Khel area on the outskirts of Peshawar.

According to a statement shared on X, Tarar said the operations were conducted in the aftermath of recent attacks, including the assault on a Federal Constabulary post in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on June 9, a vehicle-borne suicide attack on a military post in North Waziristan on June 2, and an attack on a police station in Bannu on May 9.

He said, “precise strikes were carried out along Pakistan Afghanistan Border areas on hideouts and safe havens of masterminds and planners belonging to Fitna Al Khawarij, killing twenty six Indian sponsored khawarijs.”

The statement said the action was based on “credible intelligence” and involved the “selective targeting of camps and hideouts… with precision and accuracy.”

It added that four targets were “completely destroyed,” including “a training centre, a hideout, an ammunition cache and Marakiz belonging to Fitna Al Khawarij Commander Aleem Khan Khushali and Commander Akhtar Muhammad Jani Khel.”

Read: Security forces kill 27 terrorists in North Waziristan IBOs: ISPR

The information minister further said Pakistan has “always strived for maintaining peace and stability in the region,” but stressed that “the safety and security of our citizens remains our top priority.”

He added that Pakistan’s “relentless counter-terrorism campaign under vision Azm-e-Istehkam will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.”

The statement said the campaign is being carried out by “security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan” under the framework approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan.

Officials said the operation reflects Pakistan’s ongoing response to terrorist threats operating along its western border, though independent verification of the claims was not immediately available.

K-P remains a key focus of the country’s counterterrorism efforts, with security forces regularly conducting IBOs against militants.

Also Read: 4 terrorists killed in DI Khan, Mohmand IBOs

The province witnessed a significant rise in militant violence last year, with more than 500 attacks reported, marking a 50% increase compared to the previous year.

According to a security assessment obtained by The Express Tribune, K-P recorded 1,588 terrorism-related incidents, underscoring the growing militant threat across both settled and tribal districts. Despite the increase in attacks, security forces reportedly thwarted 320 major strikes, while 137 police personnel were killed in the line of duty.

The report said joint operations by the K-P Police, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and other security agencies led to the arrest of 1,244 suspected militants, while 420 militants were killed in intelligence-based operations.

Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat, Hangu and Peshawar were among the districts most affected by militant violence, with the report noting a pattern of attacks allegedly planned and launched from across the Afghan border.

The CTD report also recorded a 56% increase in attacks targeting police personnel, rising from 327 in 2024 to 510 in 2025. During the year, security agencies conducted 2,791 search operations and identified 25 foreign militant operatives, while extortion networks operating in Peshawar and other districts were dismantled, according to the report.

Operation Ghazab Lil Haq was launched around the end of February following renewed clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, after Afghan Taliban forces fired on multiple locations, prompting swift military retaliation by Pakistan.

The neighbouring countries have been engaged in escalating hostilities along the frontier since then. The clashes intensified after Afghanistan launched a border offensive in response to Pakistani air strikes targeting terrorist positions and abated during a temporary ceasefire on the occasion of Eidul Fitr.

Pakistan in April put forth three core demands to the Afghan Taliban during peace talks in Urumqi, China, including Kabul formally declaring the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan a terrorist organisation, dismantling its infrastructure, and providing verifiable proof of the action. These demands form the basis of Pakistan’s negotiating position, which sources say has hardened amid persistent security concerns.