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30 ‘India-Backed’ Militants Killed in Orakzai Operation After 11 Troops Martyred
Security forces said they killed 30 “India-sponsored” Fitna al Khawarij militants in Orakzai in a retribution operation after an earlier attack that martyred 11 security personnel. Govt leaders praised the operation and vowed to purge terrorism.
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by Muhammad Hashir
2025-10-10
30 ‘India-Backed’ Militants Killed in Orakzai Operation After 11 Troops Martyred

Pakistan’s military said Friday that 30 militants believed to be involved in an earlier attack in Orakzai district have been killed in a “retribution operation,” following a deadly clash this week in which 11 security personnel, including two officers, were martyred.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the October 7 incident began when security forces launched an intelligence-based operation in Orakzai on the reported presence of the group the military called “Indian proxy Fitna Al Khawarij.” During the earlier confrontation the ISPR said 19 “India-sponsored” militants were killed while 11 members of the security forces — including Lieutenant Colonel Junaid Tariq and Major Tayyab Rahat — lost their lives.

In a statement issued on Friday, the ISPR said an operation in the Jamal Maya area, conducted on the basis of credible intelligence, resulted in an intense exchange of fire in which “all 30 India-sponsored khwarij involved in the terrorist incident have been sent to hell.” The statement added that sanitisation operations were continuing to track down any remaining militants in the area.

“These successful operations have avenged the heinous act and have brought the main perpetrators to justice,” the military said, and vowed to continue operations to “eradicate and wipe out the menace of India-sponsored terrorism from the country.”

Political leaders praised the security forces’ actions. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saluted the personnel for “safeguarding the motherland” and reiterated the government’s resolve to eliminate terrorism. President Asif Ali Zardari, in a message posted on the PPP’s X account, lauded the “courageous” operation and paid tribute to the sacrifices of the fallen officers. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also welcomed the operation and said the nation stood with the security forces.

The Orakzai operation comes amid a broader rise in militant attacks across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where police and security personnel have increasingly been targeted. Authorities say violence escalated after the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) broke a ceasefire with the government in 2022. Islamabad has repeatedly accused militants of using Afghan territory as a base for cross-border attacks, a claim Afghan authorities deny.

In response to recent incidents, Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Afghan interim government to act against groups it says operate from across the border. The ISPR said participants at the 272nd Corps Commanders’ Conference had underlined the need for comprehensive counterterrorism operations and reaffirmed the military’s commitment to pursue terrorist facilitators “wherever they are.”

Just a day after the Orakzai incident, security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in Dera Ismail Khan that killed seven militants and martyred a major of the Pakistan Army. In the previous month, multiple attacks in KP resulted in the deaths of 19 soldiers, underscoring the heightened security challenge in the region.

The government has also used the labels Fitna al Khawarij and Fitna al Hindustan in official language to characterise and frame militant and alleged cross-border proxy activity, a rhetorical approach aimed at highlighting what officials call India’s role in destabilisation — an assertion New Delhi denies.

As sanitisation and clearance operations continue in Orakzai, authorities said they remain determined to dismantle militant networks and prevent further attacks on Pakistan’s security forces and civilians.
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FitnaAlKhawarij

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