Pakistan: Security forces kill 17 militants in joint operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Karak,— Pakistani security forces and police killed at least 17 militants in a joint intelligence-based operation in the Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military said on Saturday.

According to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operation was launched overnight after intelligence reports indicated the presence of armed militants near the Lakki Marwat–Karak boundary, in the Darsha Khel area of Shah Salim police station limits.

The statement added that the group consisted of 22 fighters allegedly backed from abroad. Security personnel surrounded their hideout with “precision and planning,” killing 17 of them. A cache of weapons and explosives was also recovered from the site.

The ISPR described the killed fighters as part of an extremist faction operating in the region, while search operations are continuing to locate the remaining members of the group.