Security forces have killed four terrorists described as India-backed members of Fitna al-Khawarij in an intelligence-based operation in Bannu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, security sources said on Saturday.
The operation was carried out under the Azm-e-Istehkam vision, the continuing campaign aimed at wiping out Fitna al-Khawarij and restoring lasting peace in the province. A large cache of weapons and ammunition was recovered from the militants killed, the sources said.
Police said the exchange of fire lasted nearly seven hours. Five suspects were also taken into custody during the joint operation, which brought together Bannu police, the Counter Terrorism Department and security forces under District Police Officer Captain (Retd) Muhammad Furqan Bilal.
Two bodies were recovered from the scene, police said, while fleeing militants carried away the bodies of two of their accomplices. Troops recovered two Kalashnikov rifles, another rifle and further ammunition. Two policemen, Station House Officer Rashid Khan of Basia Khel police station and Constable Wajid Khan, suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospital.
A clearance operation was still under way in the area to find any militants who may still be present, the sources added, with security forces saying operations would continue until terrorism was eliminated from the province.
Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in cross-border terrorist attacks, above all in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021. September 2026 saw the highest monthly number of militant attacks in the country in 12 years. Islamabad has repeatedly urged Kabul to stop its territory being used for attacks inside Pakistan, but the two sides have yet to settle their differences over militant groups operating from Afghan soil.
