Karachi: Pakistan’s security forces have claimed to have killed 29 suspected militants during a major counterterrorism operation conducted along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, days after a deadly attack targeted a Rangers facility in Karachi.
The operation, carried out in the border areas adjoining Afghanistan, combined intelligence-led ground action with precision strikes on alleged militant hideouts. Pakistani authorities said the action was launched after security agencies gathered credible information about the presence of armed groups operating from border sanctuaries.
Information Minister Atta Tarar said the offensive was undertaken in response to a series of recent militant attacks across the country, including assaults in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and the attack on a Rangers camp in Karachi. He stated that the objective was to dismantle infrastructure linked to outlawed militant organisations operating in the frontier region.
According to the government, security personnel first launched an intelligence-based operation in Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on June 28. This was followed by targeted strikes during the night on locations allegedly being used by militants near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Officials said the operation destroyed several militant camps and hideouts in the border belt, resulting in the deaths of 29 suspected militants. Security forces also claimed to have seized or destroyed a significant cache of weapons, ammunition and other logistical supplies stored at the sites.
The latest military action forms part of Operation Ghazb Lil Haq, an ongoing campaign initiated by Pakistan earlier this year to counter militant activities along the western frontier. Islamabad has maintained that armed groups have been using cross-border locations to plan and launch attacks inside Pakistani territory.
The operation came shortly after armed militants attempted to storm a Pakistan Rangers headquarters in Karachi on Saturday. According to the military, three Rangers personnel lost their lives during the attack, while security forces killed three assailants in the ensuing gunfight. Another suspected attacker was captured after being injured.
The banned outfit Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for the Karachi attack. During preliminary investigations, officials said the arrested suspect disclosed that the operation had been planned with assistance from across the border, though these claims have not been independently verified.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban-led administration in Afghanistan of failing to prevent militant groups from using Afghan soil to carry out attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul has consistently rejected such allegations, insisting that it does not permit its territory to be used against any neighbouring country.
Militant violence has intensified across Pakistan over the past few years, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where security forces have faced frequent attacks. The latest operation underscores Islamabad’s continued efforts to curb cross-border militancy as security concerns remain high along the nearly 2,600-kilometre frontier shared with Afghanistan.
