12 Soldiers, 35 Militants Killed in Pakistan Border Raids

Locator map showing Pakistan, its capital Islamabad, and the Kashmir region.

Pakistani security forces carried out raids on two Pakistani Taliban hideouts near the Afghan border over the past two days, leaving 12 soldiers and 35 militants dead, the military reported Saturday.

The first operation in Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa killed 22 militants. A separate raid in South Waziristan resulted in 13 militant deaths and the loss of 12 soldiers, whom the military honoured as martyrs.

The army said militants have been using Afghan territory to launch attacks in Pakistan and urged the Taliban government in Kabul to stop such actions. The slain militants were described as “Khwarij,” a term for the Pakistani Taliban, with unverified claims of Indian support.

The Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is distinct from the Afghan Taliban but closely allied, gaining strength since the Taliban took power in Kabul in 2021.