Military says 15 militants killed in counterterror operations in northwestern Pakistan

Frontier Constabulary and army personnel gather near the ambushed region in Kurram, northwest Pakistan, on January 17, 2025. (AFP/File)
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Updated 18 November 2025
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Military says 15 militants killed in counterterror operations in northwestern Pakistan

  • Pakistani Taliban militants killed in separate operations in Dera Ismail Khan, North Waziristan districts last week, says military
  • Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks recently, with a suicide blast in Islamabad earlier this month that killed 12

ISLAMABAD: Fifteen Pakistani Taliban militants were killed in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province in two separate counterterror operations last week, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday. 

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces conducted the first intelligence-based operation in the northwestern Dera Ismail Khan district on Nov. 15 and 16. It said 10 militants, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Alam Mehsud, were killed. 

In the second operation conducted in North Waziristan district in the Datta Khel area, the ISPR said five more militants were killed. 

“Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian sponsored kharji found in the area,” the military’s media wing said in a statement. 

Pakistan’s military and government frequently use the term “khawarij” to describe the TTP or the Pakistani Taliban militants. The military also alleges that the Indian government arms and funds the TTP and separatist militant outfits in KP and Balochistan. New Delhi denies the allegations. 

In a separate statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised security forces for killing 15 militants. 

“The prime minister stated that the entire nation stands with Pakistan’s armed forces in this war against terrorism,” a statement from Sharif’s office said. 

Islamabad accuses the Afghan government of not taking “decisive, concrete” actions against TTP militants that it alleges launch attacks on Pakistan from Afghan soil. The Taliban-led government in Kabul denies the allegations and insists Pakistan resolve its security challenges internally. 

The TTP has carried out some of the deadliest attacks against Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies since 2007 in its bid to impose a strict brand of Islamic law. 

The recent surge in militant attacks in Pakistan have strained Islamabad’s ties with Kabul. The two countries engaged in deadly border clashes in October which saw dozens, including soldiers, killed on both sides before a temporary ceasefire was reached in Doha last month. 


Pakistan rejects Amnesty claims of Israeli spyware use, calls reports ‘disinformation’

Updated 05 December 2025
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Pakistan rejects Amnesty claims of Israeli spyware use, calls reports ‘disinformation’

  • FO denies any link with Israel, says Pakistan has “absolutely no cooperation” on surveillance tools
  • Islamabad accuses India of delaying clearance for relief aircraft bound for flood-hit Sri Lanka

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday rejected an Amnesty International report alleging the use of Israeli-made invasive spyware in the country, calling the findings speculative and misleading.

Amnesty’s investigation, published Thursday under the title Intellexa Leaks, cited the case of a Pakistan-based human rights lawyer who reported receiving a suspicious WhatsApp link in 2025. According to Amnesty International’s Security Lab, the link bore signatures consistent with Predator, a spyware product developed by Israeli manufacturer c

Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi dismissed the suggestion that Islamabad had deployed the tool or maintained any technological cooperation with Israel.

“These are all media speculations. These are all rumor-mongering and disinformation. There is absolutely no cooperation between Pakistan and Israel on anything, let alone a spyware or these kinds of tools. So, I would reject it quite emphatically,” he said at a weekly briefing.

Andrabi also accused India of obstructing humanitarian operations, saying New Delhi delayed flight clearance for a Pakistani relief aircraft carrying aid to flood-affected Sri Lanka.

“The special aircraft carrying Pakistan’s relief goods had to wait for 48 hours, in fact more than 48 hours, around 60 hours, while the flight clearance from India was delayed,” he said.

He added that the eventual conditional flight window was too narrow to be workable.

“The partial flight clearance which eventually was given after 48 hours was operationally impractical, time-bound just for a few hours and hence not operable, severely hindering the urgent need for the relief mission for the brotherly people of Sri Lanka,” Andrabi stated.

“Humanitarian assistance is like justice, if it is delayed, it is denied.”

Responding to India’s claim that clearance was granted within four hours, he said Pakistan has documentary proof contradicting New Delhi’s version.

On a separate question about reported delays in the arrival of a Turkish delegation aimed at mediating between Islamabad and Kabul, Andrabi said Pakistan welcomed Ankara’s initiative but was unaware of the cause of postponement.

“We stand ready to receive the Turkish delegation. That delegation has not arrived as yet. And I’m not aware of any schedule. Pakistan is ready to hold negotiations, discussions,” he said, adding that the delay may be linked to coordination with the Afghan side.