Curated News Summary

Major among 4 troops martyred, 24 terrorists killed during operations in KP and Balochistan: ISPR

Source: dawn.com Published Sat, 14 Nov 2026 19:31:02 +0500

Why This Matters

Key context: Four soldiers, including a major, were martyred while 24 terrorists were killed in multiple intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan, the military’s media wing said on Saturday. In a statement, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that since Nov 13, armed forces have been conducting multiple IBOs “around Kolpur, Kardagap and Nushki, including area domination and patrolling of the Quetta-Taftan National Highway (N-40) to keep it secure for local traffic and sustain operations”. On the night of Nov 13/14 in Kolpur, security forces “successfully neutralised eight Indian-sponsored terrorists of Fitna al Hindustan (FAH), including a suicide bomber, and recovered a large cache of weapons and ammunition”, ISPR said. The state has <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1914525">designated</a> Balochistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna al-Hindustan to <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1912930#:~:text=The%20term%20%E2%80%98Fitna%20al%20Hindu%C2%ADstan%E2%80%99%20is%20a%20new%20phrase%20coined%20by%20Pakistan%E2%80%99s%20military%2C%20aimed%20at%20framing%20India%E2%80%99s%20alleged%20role%20in%20terrorism%20as%20a%20deliberate%20destabilisation%20strategy%2C%20potentially%20to%20galvanise%20domestic%20support.">highlight</a> India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. It added that on Nov 14, FAH terrorists “targeted military vehicles on patrol with armed quadcopters”, resulting in the martyrdom of Major Omer Minhas Nasir, resident of Chakwal district, and Havildar Muhammad Adnan Khan from Kotli Sattian. In an earlier statement, ISPR said two soldiers were martyred and 16 terrorists were killed as security forces continued a series of IBOs in North Waziristan. According to the military’s media wing, multiple khwarij locations were engaged in the general areas of Mir Ali, Datta Khel and surrounding areas in North Waziristan. <figure class='media w-full w-full media-- media--embed media--uneven media--tweet' data-original-src='https://x.com/OfficialDGISPR/status/2121528289936420937'> <div class='media__item media__item--twitter '> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialDGISPR/status/2121528289936420937"></a> </blockquote> </div> </figure> “Following fierce fire exchanges, in last twelve hours, 12 khwarij, including two Afghan nationals belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna al Khwarij were sent to hell in Ali Khel, while two khwarij each were neutralised in Mir Ali and Datta Khel, thereby causing a significant blow to the khwarijs’ network operating in the area,” ISPR said. Fitna al Khawarij is a term used by the state for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). ISPR said that during the operations, 43-year-old Havildar Asmat Ali and 32-year-old Naik Aftab Ali embraced martyrdom. “Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed Indian-sponsored khwarij, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities, including the killing of innocent civilians,” it said. The statement said that sanitisation operations would continue to eliminate “remaining holed-up khwarij from these areas”, adding that the counterterrorism campaign would continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country. President Asif Ali Zardari paid tribute to the security forces for their successful operation and expressed condolences over the martyrdom of the two soldiers. He said operations under the ongoing Azm-i-Istehkam campaign against foreign-sponsored terrorism would continue with full force until the elimination of the last terrorist. <figure class='media w-full w-full media-- media--embed media--uneven media--tweet' data-original-src='https://x.com/PresOfPakistan/status/2121533274300317768'> <div class='media__item media__item--twitter '> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <a href="https://twitter.com/PresOfPakistan/status/2121533274300317768"></a> </blockquote> </div> </figure> The operations come a day after ISPR <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2044387/74-terrorists-killed-in-targeted-actions-ispr">said</a> 74 terrorists were killed in IBOs in KP and Balochistan. On Friday, it said 43 terrorists were killed during operations conducted over 48 hours in KP, including 35 in Mir Ali, North Waziristan district, and eight in Orakzai district. Another 31 terrorists were killed in Balochistan during an operation launched on Nov 3. <h2><a id="rise-in-terrorism" href="#rise-in-terrorism" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" title="Permalink"></a>Rise in terrorism</h2> Pakistan has seen a surge in terrorism, especially in KP and Balochistan since the banned TTP <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1723647">ended</a> its ceasefire deal with the government in November 2022, vowing to increase attacks. According to <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://picss.net/reports/terrorism-in-pakistan-weekly-30-oct-5-nov-2026/">Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies</a>, the country’s security environment continued to show considerable volatility from Oct 30 to Nov 5, 2026, with renewed terrorist activity in parts of KP and the former tribal districts, alongside intensified counterterrorism operations and changing patterns of militant violence. <figure class='media w-full sm:w-1/2 media--right media--embed media--uneven' data-original-src='https://www.dawn.com/news/2014791/balochistan-security-crisis'> <div class='media__item media__item--newskitlink '> <iframe class="nk-iframe" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:250px;position:relative" src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/2014791" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div> </figure> While attacks rose from 8 to 20 in former tribal districts, Balochistan presented a different pattern; it recorded 11 attacks, down from 15 the previous week, although fatalities increased from five to seven. The weekly increase came against the backdrop of a substantial month-on-month reduction in terrorist violence recorded <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2041388/terrorist-attacks-drop-by-37pc-in-october-picss">during October</a>. Earlier this month, a soldier was martyred and 17 terrorists were killed in <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2041875/soldier-martyred-17-terrorists-killed-in-intelligence-based-operations-in-balochistan-ispr">two IBOs</a> in Balochistan’s Kachhi and Kharan districts, ISPR said. <hr /> Correction: An earlier version of this story said 14 terrorists were killed in North Waziristan. The error is regretted. This development from dawn.com highlights ongoing changes in the sector.

Four soldiers, including a major, were martyred while 24 terrorists were killed in multiple intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan, the military’s media wing said on Saturday. In a statement, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that since Nov 13, armed forces have been conducting multiple IBOs “around Kolpur, Kardagap and Nushki, including area domination and patrolling of the Quetta-Taftan National Highway (N-40) to keep it secure for local traffic and sustain operations”. On the night of Nov 13/14 in Kolpur, security forces “successfully neutralised eight Indian-sponsored terrorists of Fitna al Hindustan (FAH), including a suicide bomber, and recovered a large cache of weapons and ammunition”, ISPR said. The state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. It added that on Nov 14, FAH terrorists “targeted military vehicles on patrol with armed quadcopters”, resulting in the martyrdom of Major Omer Minhas Nasir, resident of Chakwal district, and Havildar Muhammad Adnan Khan from Kotli Sattian. In an earlier statement, ISPR said two soldiers were martyred and 16 terrorists were killed as security forces continued a series of IBOs in North Waziristan. According to the military’s media wing, multiple khwarij locations were engaged in the general areas of Mir Ali, Datta Khel and surrounding areas in North Waziristan. “Following fierce fire exchanges, in last twelve hours, 12 khwarij, including two Afghan nationals belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna al Khwarij were sent to hell in Ali Khel, while two khwarij each were neutralised in Mir Ali and Datta Khel, thereby causing a significant blow to the khwarijs’ network operating in the area,” ISPR said. Fitna al Khawarij is a term used by the state for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). ISPR said that during the operations, 43-year-old Havildar Asmat Ali and 32-year-old Naik Aftab Ali embraced martyrdom. “Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed Indian-sponsored khwarij, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities, including the killing of innocent civilians,” it said. The statement said that sanitisation operations would continue to eliminate “remaining holed-up khwarij from these areas”, adding that the counterterrorism campaign would continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country. President Asif Ali Zardari paid tribute to the security forces for their successful operation and expressed condolences over the martyrdom of the two soldiers. He said operations under the ongoing Azm-i-Istehkam campaign against foreign-sponsored terrorism would continue with full force until the elimination of the last terrorist. The operations come a day after ISPR said 74 terrorists were killed in IBOs in KP and Balochistan. On Friday, it said 43 terrorists were killed during operations conducted over 48 hours in KP, including 35 in Mir Ali, North Waziristan district, and eight in Orakzai district. Another 31 terrorists were killed in Balochistan during an operation launched on Nov 3. Rise in terrorism Pakistan has seen a surge in terrorism, especially in KP and Balochistan since the banned TTP ended its ceasefire deal with the government in November 2022, vowing to increase attacks. According to Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, the country’s security environment continued to show considerable volatility from Oct 30 to Nov 5, 2026, with renewed terrorist activity in parts of KP and the former tribal districts, alongside intensified counterterrorism operations and changing patterns of militant violence. While attacks rose from 8 to 20 in former tribal districts, Balochistan presented a different pattern; it recorded 11 attacks, down from 15 the previous week, although fatalities increased from five to seven. The weekly increase came against the backdrop of a substantial month-on-month reduction in terrorist violence recorded during October. Earlier this month, a soldier was martyred and 17 terrorists were killed in two IBOs in Balochistan’s Kachhi and Kharan districts, ISPR said. Correction: An earlier version of this story said 14 terrorists were killed in North Waziristan. The error is regretted.

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