ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani soldier and 11 suspected militants were killed in multiple operations in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, authorities said on Monday, as security forces intensify armed campaigns amid a surge in militant attacks in the region.

The first joint operation by police and security forces was conducted in Bannu district, targeting a faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, police said. Four suspected militants were killed. 

The four suspects were allegedly involved in multiple attacks, including the killing of an assistant commissioner in North Waziristan district, as well as facilitating and recruiting militants, carrying out targeted killings, attacking police checkpoints and stations and engaging in kidnappings for ransom, according to police. 

Bannu and neighboring districts have seen repeated militant violence since the TTP ended a fragile ceasefire with the Pakistani state in late 2022. The region lies close to the Afghan border and has long been a focal point of Pakistan’s counterinsurgency operations.

“This is a clear message for anti-state elements that there is no safe haven for terrorists in this country,” Deputy Inspector General of Police for the Bannu region, Sajjad Khan, said. “They will not be allowed to hide anywhere. Police and security forces are fully committed to countering terrorism.”

“Anti-state elements will be targeted one by one and completely eliminated. All possible measures will continue to ensure the safety of the public,” he added.

Separately, the army said in a statement on Monday it had killed seven militants during an intelligence-based operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district. 

“However, during fire exchange, brave son of soil Naik Yasir Khan (age: 34 years, resident of District Mardan) having fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat [martyrdom],” the army’s media wing said. 

“Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from Indian sponsored killed khwarij, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area,” referring to a term the army uses for TTP militants it says operate from safe havens in Afghanistan, with support from archrival India. Both nations deny the accusations.

Pakistan has for years accused Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government of allowing militant groups such as the TTP to operate from Afghan territory. Afghan officials say Pakistan must address its own internal security challenges. The accusations have contributed to strained relations between the two neighbors, including periodic border clashes over the past year.