Armed clashes in Pakistan leave 64 deaths
Shafaq News – Islamabad
19 Pakistani soldiers and 45 militants were killed in a series of raids against Pakistani Taliban hideouts near the Afghan border over the past two days, security forces confirmed on Saturday.
According to a military statement, the operations targeted three sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The first raid in Bajaur killed 22 militants, while clashes in South Waziristan left 13 militants and 12 soldiers dead.
In a third raid on Thursday in Lower Dir district, seven soldiers and 10 militants were killed after heavy fighting.
The army accused the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), of using Afghan territory to launch attacks, calling on the Taliban-led government in Kabul “to uphold its responsibilities and deny use of its soil for terrorist activities against Pakistan.”
In its statement, the army referred to the militants as “Khwarij,” a term it uses for the TTP, and alleged they were backed by India, though it provided no evidence. New Delhi has consistently denied such accusations. There was no immediate response from the Taliban in Kabul.
Prime Minister and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff (#COAS), offered funeral prayers of 12 brave martyrs of South Waziristan operation at Bannu and visited the wounded at CMH #Bannu, Pakistan Afterwards, he also participated in a high-level meeting on… pic.twitter.com/On3dzq4kN8
— Pakistan Armed Forces News 🇵🇰 (@PakistanFauj) September 13, 2025
Pakistani state media quoted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif affirming that Pakistan seeks peaceful relations with all its neighbors, including Afghanistan, but urged Kabul to “make a clear choice” between maintaining friendly ties with Islamabad or continuing to shelter the TTP.
Prime Minister and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff (#COAS), offered funeral prayers of 12 brave martyrs of South Waziristan operation at Bannu and visited the wounded at CMH #Bannu, Pakistan Afterwards, he also participated in a high-level meeting on… pic.twitter.com/DIT0OvHN4m
— Pakistan Armed Forces News 🇵🇰 (@PakistanFauj) September 13, 2025
The Pakistani Taliban, a separate group from the Afghan Taliban but closely allied with them, has intensified attacks in recent years. Last month, Pakistan’s army said its troops killed 33 militants while repelling a cross-border incursion from Afghanistan into North Waziristan.
