Eleven Pakistan Army personnel, including a Lieutenant Colonel and a Major, were martyred during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Orakzai district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Wednesday.
According to the military’s media wing, the operation was launched on the night between October 7 and 8 following reports of the presence of terrorists belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij the state-designated term for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) described as an Indian proxy by the ISPR.
During the exchange of fire, 19 terrorists were killed, while 39-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Junaid Arif and 33-year-old Major Tayyab Rahat, both residents of Rawalpindi, embraced martyrdom along with nine soldiers. The martyred personnel were identified as Naib Subedar Azam Gul, Naik Adil Hussain, Naik Gul Ameer, Lance Naik Sher Khan, Lance Naik Talish Faraz, Lance Naik Irshad Hussain, Sepoy Tufail Khan, Sepoy Aqib Ali and Sepoy Muhammad Zahid.
The ISPR said that a sanitisation operation was underway to clear the area of any remaining militants. It reaffirmed that the armed forces were determined to eradicate “Indian-sponsored terrorism” from Pakistan, and that such sacrifices further strengthened national resolve.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the martyred soldiers, commending their bravery and reaffirming the government’s resolve to eliminate terrorism. “The sacrifices of the brave sons of Pakistan will never go in vain,” he said.
The incident follows a recent operation in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district, where 14 terrorists linked to Fitna al-Hindustan were killed. According to a report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), Pakistan has witnessed a 46 per cent rise in violence in 2025, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan suffering over 96 per cent of all casualties.