Pakistan Border Operations Kill 29 Militants, Tarar Says

Pakistan’s security forces have killed 29 militants in a combination of ground operations and precision strikes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said, in one of the day’s most significant national security developments.

According to the minister, the action followed a fresh wave of attacks inside Pakistan, including violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and the recent assault on a Rangers facility in Karachi. The operation was presented by the government as part of an intensified campaign to disrupt cross-border militant networks.

Tarar said security forces first conducted an intelligence-led ground action near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Bajaur district on June 28. He identified a high-value Jamaatul Ahrar commander, Khan Farosh alias Zabal, among those targeted, adding that other militants were also hit during the engagement.

The minister further stated that, during the night of June 28 and 29, Pakistani forces carried out what he described as precise strikes against militant camps and hideouts in border areas linked to Jamaatul Ahrar and Fitna al Khawarij. He said three targets in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar were destroyed, along with weapons and ammunition stored at the locations.

In his public remarks, Tarar said Pakistan had consistently sought peace and regional stability but would not compromise on the safety of its citizens. His post on X linked the latest operation to recent attacks and can be viewed at https://x.com/TararAttaullah/status/2071313878877884889.

The development comes shortly after authorities said militants attacked a Pakistan Rangers Sindh headquarters in Karachi’s Gulistan-i-Jauhar area. The military’s media wing had said three security personnel were martyred in that incident, while three attackers were killed and one was arrested.

Security officials later claimed the arrested attacker had identified himself as Usman Ali and alleged that he had crossed into Pakistan from Jalalabad in Afghanistan about a week before the Karachi attack. The authorities also linked the attackers to Jamaatul Ahrar, a militant faction that has been blamed for previous acts of violence in Pakistan.

The wider backdrop is a sharp deterioration in Pakistan-Afghanistan security relations since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly accused militants based across the border of using Afghan territory to plan and launch attacks, while Kabul has often rejected Pakistani allegations.

For Pakistan, the latest operation carries both security and diplomatic implications. Domestically, it signals a harder counterterror posture after a series of attacks on civilians and security personnel; regionally, it may deepen tensions with Afghanistan unless back-channel diplomacy or mediation by friendly countries prevents further escalation.

Officials have indicated that counterterror actions under the broader Azm-i-Istehkam framework will continue. The next steps are likely to include heightened border surveillance, further intelligence-based operations and renewed pressure on Kabul to act against groups Pakistan says are operating from Afghan soil.