ISLAMABAD: The military’s media wing announced on Tuesday that twenty-threemembers of the banned Fitna al-Khawarij, described by the Inter-ServicesPublic Relations as an Indian proxy terrorist group, were killed in twoseparate intelligence-based operations conducted in Bajaur and Bannudistricts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 16-17 November 2025.
In the first operation in Bajaur district, security forces engaged a groupof Khawarij terrorists after receiving credible intelligence about theirpresence. Intense exchange of fire led to the elimination of eleventerrorists, including a high-value ring leader known as Sajjad aliasAbuzar. The ISPR statement described the outcome as the terrorists being“sent to hell”, employing the strong terminology now routinely used by themilitary to refer to the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and itsaffiliates.
Hours later, in Jani Khel area of Bannu district, anotherintelligence-driven operation resulted in the neutralisation of twelve moreKhawarij members. No casualties were reported among own troops in eitherengagement.
The military reiterated that sanitisation operations are continuing in bothareas to eliminate any remaining terrorists and their facilitators. Thestatement linked the latest successes to the broader counter-terrorismframework under “Azm-e-Istehkam”, the national vision approved by the ApexCommittee of the National Action Plan, and vowed to sustain the momentumuntil the menace of foreign-sponsored terrorism is completely wiped out.
Military officials have consistently accused Indian intelligence agenciesof providing financial and logistical support to Fitna al-Khawarij in anattempt to destabilise Pakistan, particularly along the western border.While Islamabad has shared dossiers with international partners containingalleged evidence of New Delhi’s involvement, India has categoricallyrejected the charges as baseless.
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The consecutive operations in the former tribal areas underscore thepersistent security challenge in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa despite a significantdecline in terrorist incidents compared to the peak years of 2008-2014.Analysts view the elimination of Sajjad alias Abuzar as particularlysignificant, given his reported role in coordinating cross-border movementand attacks on security forces.
Source: www.ispr.gov.pk/press-release-detail.php?id=6789″>https://www.ispr.gov.pk/press-release-detail.php?id=6789Source: www.dawn.com/news/1875432″>https://www.dawn.com/news/1875432